Escaping Destiny
by somethin' clever
Summary: Is there a possiblity of changing fate? Can someone actually escape thier destiny?
1. A Meeting

Standard disclaimers apply to all chapters!!!  
  
Hello there! It's nice to know that someone is reading my story! ^-^ I feel so loved. Okay this is only the prologue, and it is also my first fanfic, so please be gentle, but if you have any tips to give to me I'd like that bunches! ^-^; I'm not great at spelling so I'll try to use spell check as much as possible. I'd like you R+R please if it doesn't take up too much of your time.  
  
Escaping Destiny  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Rain.  
  
That's all it seemed to be doing lately...  
  
Kaoru looked up into the heavens only to see more rain fall upon her windowsill. Sighing, Kaoru looked down to her forgotten book that she had been reading earlier. 'It was a good book,' thought Kaoru sarcastically,' if you want to read about the history of Literature. Only heaven knows why Uncle Saito wanted me to read such a dreadful book, and with the humid rain, it only seems more boring.'  
  
But, Kaoru, being in the position that she was in, wanted to grant her Uncle's wishes. ' And if,' Kaoru thought sourly,' one of those wishes is to read about English and Literature, then so be it.'  
  
So Kaoru read on through the hateful book... But not a moment later did Kaoru find that she was nodding off to sleep.  
  
"Damn book, it's not my bed-time yet." Kaoru whispered through her teeth, with a frown on her face, and her frustration getting the best of her; her right eye found itself a nice twitch.  
  
Kaoru looked up from her book; to grant her eyes a rest, and she looked into her study. It was a fair sized circular room, with a fireplace, and cushion-chairs around that for comfort and talking. There was a writing place, a desk, was that what they called it? Well Kaoru was only there if she wanted to write letters or documents. Then there was a little library, from the floor to the ceiling around the study. The only part the books didn't cover was the doorway, and her favorite spot in the whole room, the cushioned window seat and window. Kaoru stood, as she put the 'Love of English' back in to its rightful place, she decided that she needed some fresh-air, raining or not. ' I can't be cooped up in this stuffy old castle forever.' Kaoru thought, finally her mood brightening. Picking up her skirts, Kaoru walked out of the study. 'I think walking in the garden would be a great place to start. And I could read one of my adventure books there too. Kami knows I need excitement in my life.'  
  
So Kaoru walked down the maze of stairs and hallways to get to the garden, and when she finally got there, she found out that it stopped raining. 'Perfect timing!' Kaoru thought her mood becoming happier.  
  
She smiled to see the raindrops on all the plants, and the wet pavement, but she got a bigger grin on her face to see a gigantic puddle. 'If I do this, Nana isn't going to be happy with me,' her sub-conscience thought. ' Who cares, it'd be fun, a little part of the excitement that you said you needed.' Kaoru's conscience thought back. So She ran to the puddle, and jumped in it like a little girl would. Getting her dress, legs, arms, and hair wet, and laughing like a true child, she didn't notice the golden eyes that where upon her.  
  
Kenshin sighed, 'This is going to be a long day.'  
  
Not only did his adoptive father and master put him on an impossible mission, but it was raining! Pouring to be exact. Once he snuck into the Castle he made sure that he changed from his sopping wet cloths, dried them, then put them back on. But even more, the enemies Castle was so heavily guarded that he almost got caught sneaking in, and to add to that the 19-year-old women that he was supposed to kill was harder to find then he thought she would be. She's not in her room, so he checked her cambers, to find that they were all empty, even the study was empty. Kenshin gave another aggravated sigh as he walked to the window seat, and sat down. He looked out the window, noticing the rain had stopped just after he gotten in the castle, that only made his frustration rise farther, so he looked to the gardens below, ...  
  
Just to see a beautiful women jumping in a huge puddle, the water droplets from her splashes around her, a big genuine smile on her face, and her Ice blue eyes mirrored the smile ...  
  
It was like he was stuck in a trance, but, as he looked at her face closer, it hit him, ' This is the women I'm supposed to assonate? She's nothing but a child!'  
  
But orders were orders, and he ran down the maze of stairs and hallways to get to the gardens. As he got there he noticed that the princess wasn't jumping in the puddles any more. ' Great! Just great! I find her, and when I get to the spot that I see her in, She's not there!'  
  
Kenshin looked up to the clouds, just as he felt the pouring rain come down on him again.  
  
Kenshin was livid...  
  
Controlling his anger so that is was just bearable, he started reasoning where she could be,' At least I know that she's still in the gardens, if she wasn't I would have past her on the way here.'  
  
So the Hitokiri Battousai started his search of the gardens. Only to find out an hour later that the 'girl' he was looking for was even harder to find in the massive garden then the Osaka Castle. So he rested at the base an extremely gigantic tree for a while. He was very happy to notice that he was out of the rain.  
  
Kaoru look around from where she was sitting high up in her favorite tree, it started raining again, she noticed.  
  
'But that didn't matter, this has big leaves, I didn't feel a single rain drop. I only noticed because I heard it.' Kaoru thought even happier.  
  
The branch was shaped for sitting and it was flat on the top, so she wouldn't be falling any time soon, most people would think that it's not safe, but in fact it was very sturdy, so much so, that 50 people, if they could fit, could sit on this branch and it wouldn't make a single move to brake. But to add to that the branch was so huge, along with the other branches, that if she fell over, her head would just hit the tree instead of the ground. Needless to say, even if it was a very old tree, it was the biggest tree in her Aunt Tokio's garden, and the hugest tree in the all of Japan. And another fact that she liked the place so much was because of the fact that it was so hard to find, and only her cousin Yahiko had found it searching for her.  
  
But Kaoru wasn't interested in her favorite spot to read; she was more engrossed in her adventure/romance book. She sighed a very happy sigh and thought what it would be like to adventure around the whole Japan just looking for her lover, as the main character in her book had done. She sighed a dreamy sigh, with a blush on her face, as she got to a very mushy part in the book.  
  
"I wonder what it would be like to kiss someone like that." She whispered dreamily, with a tint of a blush, and a smile on her face. Kaoru was so lost in 'La la land' that she didn't see the red haired man below her, until he stepped on a twig.  
  
Gasping, Kaoru looked below herself, adrenalin running as well as her emotions, as she saw the very hansom red-haired man. But she got curious as to whom he is, since all she could see of him was the back of his head.  
  
That is until he turned around looking for something, or more of, someone. Kaoru stared in trance at the fact that he was very hansom. He had the most unusual amber eyes, and hair that looked more like flames then hair. He was dressed in the usual armor, but the thing is that it was all black, and had a black cape attached to his shoulder armor. The other thing that was unusual was the fact that he was carrying a Japanese Sword instead of the usual gun, and European Sword that a normal Police-man would. He was most frightening, but Kaoru didn't care. Though now Kaoru was very sub-conscience of her spaghetti strapped, tight midriff, green dress, which had a slit on both sides that went up to her hip. At the bottom of the dress were glittered purple and blue flames; the glitter went up to her knees. And she had an indigo ribbon in her hair, her favorite in fact. Kaoru had many of these dresses that had slits because they were great for moving around in, especially when she practiced using a sword, doing her marital arts, and practicing her witch craft. Yes, Kaoru was a witch, and very useful and talented one at that. Her dreams could predict the future, battles and such, but she couldn't only see the future, she could see the present and into peoples minds, and erase them if she wanted to, she could also do the normal witch stuff as well. Which is why, Saito, her uncle, didn't want her running around a bunch. She getting captured, or killed, was his fear. But Kaoru didn't like using them too much because if she saw into a persons mind then they could see into hers, and also it takes up to much energy, even if she was a powerful witch, she wasn't nearly as strong and powerful as her mother was. Kaoru didn't want to bother the searching hansom man, so she didn't speak. She started to move away, when her bear feet steeped on a stray small branch, which snapped on impact.  
  
Kenshin's head shot up, as he heard a branch snap, and he immediately got in to a defensive position automatically. And when he saw the 'girl' he was looking for, he had a faint smirk, menacing to all he looked at, and his glare could strike fear into any man, the Princess was making it easier for him. But the Princess only smiled at him. 'Does she think that I'm only being silly?' Kenshin was confused, but that only turned into anger. He was caught off guard when she fell screaming out of the massive tree, some how she slipped. He ran forward, as though to catch her, he didn't know why. 'I should just let her fall, she IS high up enough to be killed on impact, and that's what I want... Isn't it?' Kenshin's conscience thought. But something was telling Kenshin to catch the women, something he didn't understand. And it was bothering the hell out of him.  
  
When Kaoru stepped on the small branch she jumped, but her eyes where still on the interesting man, as his head shot-up to look at her. She froze scared that he'd attack her, but when he smirked at her for on apparent reason, which only made him seem more frightful, she smiled back, but only to cover up her fear. When she took a step backwards, though, her footing slipped and she fell down wards giving out a loud shriek...  
  
But only to be caught in strong warm arms...  
  
Kaoru only looked up for a moment to see her savior, and just as she thought, it was that strange Knight. But she didn't care, the fact that her insides where so jumbled was strong enough to make her puke, and that's exactly what she did, but she was polite enough to not to throw-up on the Knight.  
  
When Kaoru got back up from throwing-up, she noticed that he had put her into a standing position, but he had an arm around her waist that she was leaning over and his other hand was rubbing her back. Kaoru wiped her mouth from throw-up, and turned to the stranger, now very conscience of what she was wearing, and that fact that one of his arms was around her. Their eye transfixed upon each other as if they were stuck, she could advert her eyes, but she didn't want to, and it seemed that he didn't want to either. It felt like she had stared into his eyes before, a long, long time ago, it felt so familiar staring into them, and them looking in to her eyes.  
  
"I-I'm s-sorry." Kaoru said in a shaken voice. But the Knight brought two fingers up to her lips to silence her, and he smiled at her in a comforting and knowing way.  
  
"Shhhh, it's okay." He said in a deep, rich, and comforting voice.  
  
He swiped a strand of stray hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, as the wind blew. The touch felt so familiar, so warm, and safe... and Kaoru was surrounded by black as she stared into her saviors golden eyes, knowing that she will be dreaming about them in future dreams to come. She guessed her powers wanted her to see something. And Kaoru Blacked out...  
  
OKAY well that's all for now folks! Tell me what you think by read and reviewing please!!! I need to know what the fans want! ^-^ I'll try and write some more soon. Some time Sunday, maybe, I'm not too sure. ^-^ well I'll try any ways! Ja! Moon Baby. 


	2. Dreams

Standard Disclaimers Apply To All Chapters!!!!!  
  
HI all!!!! It's so nice to know that people really like my first story!!!!!!!! Squeal!!!!!! I'm so happy! And I thought that no one would read it... Well I got more than I expected! Thank you SO much. And as I have said before, I'll try to write as much as possible and as soon as possible, and will use spell check as much as possible as well... And thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!! Read and review if you have the time to do so. And on with the story...  
  
Escaping Destiny  
  
By: Moon Baby Chapter 1  
  
Well...  
  
It had stopped raining thank goodness...  
  
But Kenshin was still drenched from head to toe.  
  
And that anger of his was getting the best of him, though he wasn't showing it on his outside mask.  
  
He had just walked into a Pub in Kyoto, and it had just stopped raining.  
  
Again Kenshin was livid...  
  
' Geez it's like I am cursed for trying to kill the princess... BUT I didn't are you happy Kami!' Kenshin's conscience thought, as he looked down to the slumbering wet 'girl' in his arms. ' Yeah, but you still kidnapped the women, you should have just let her fall, and killed her when you had the chance! And you know that master Hiko isn't going to be too happy with you.' Kenshin's sub-conscience thought.  
  
"But all the same, something told me not too, and I held back... damn, what was that." Kenshin whispered to himself.  
  
He walked past the filthy Squabs that were the people in this part of town. All were staring at him, or more of, the beautiful, fresh, young women in his arms. The men were licking their lips, nodding in his direction, and whispering to themselves, as the hookers and whores were glaring at the Princess because the men they adored weren't paying attention to them.  
  
Kenshin kept walking past them to the stairs, but as soon as he got there he turned on his heal and glared at them menacingly, with all of his pent up anger from earlier. He glared as if he would lose something precious to him if they even stared at her. Everything went back to normal in a snap, with all the loud yelling, laughing, and giggling, but Kenshin could see the fear in their eyes, he also saw how they didn't look at him, or his women again.  
  
' WAIT!!! HOLD IT! Where the hell did that come from! ' Kenshin thought, as he disappeared up the stairs to get a room. ' She is NOT my women, she's a hell lot younger then I am, haven't I said that she's only a GIRL!! And on TOP of that all, she IS my enemies Daughter!!' ' Yeah, but she is very beautiful, more stunning then any WOMEN I have ever seen, and yes she IS a women, and is well past the age to be wed, and with child. You know that all to well. If only she wasn't your enemy... Oh and by the way she isn't the daughter of King Saito, she's his Niece. Man, you need to think strait.' Kenshin's sub-conscience thought back.  
  
Kenshin was about to retort back, but his thoughts were cut short, as a girl confronted him.  
  
"W-W-Welcome t-to the Akabeka, my name is T-Tsubame, How m-may I s- serve you, s-s-sir." The sweet, and trembling girl said.  
  
Kenshin could smell the fear on her, it was obviously her first day working here, and him glaring at everyone was probably nerve wracking. But all the same Kenshin kept his glare.  
"I'd like to have a room, a secluded room, if you please." Kenshin said, his voice gruff and dripping with anger.  
  
"O-o-ok!" Tsubame's voice was high pitched as soon as she started talking, "Walk this w-way, s-sir."  
  
'Yes', Kenshin mused with a frown,' she is very afraid.'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Falling...  
  
Kaoru was falling...  
  
Slowly ...  
  
As Kaoru looked around her all she saw was a big black abyss ...  
  
As she floated down, wisps of color were shooting past her; obviously they were the premonitions of the future, but why weren't they coming toward her as they should be?  
  
She found out when one hit her strait in the forehead... ^*^*^*(Dream)^*^*^  
  
Kaoru found herself sitting on a huge rock looking at an ocean, sitting under a Sakura Tree. With a traditional kimono on, it was a beautiful sky blue and had one slit that went up to her thigh, with long angel wings like for sleeves. She noticed that she had a gold band around her left ring finger; she was obviously married.  
  
She also felt older, and her raven hair was longer, and in a braid.  
  
But as she got all of her senses back, her big surprise was that she was holding a sleeping little baby girl, with raven hair.  
  
Kaoru looked around, she saw that it was a bright, warm, and sunny day. She saw a huge castle, she noticed that she was sitting in a garden and could see the castle patio from here.  
  
But what was really interesting, and what caught her eye the most, was, the red-haired, blue eyed boy, about the age of six, running toward her, with her red haired savior from earlier running after the boy.  
  
Each had the same huge grin on their faces, and each where laughing.  
  
Her savior caught the boy and rolled toward her, when they stopped the boy was laying spread out on top of her hansom Knight's right arm, his left hand on top of the Knight's chest. Her savior was spread out the same way. Both where breathing heavily.  
  
As soon as the boy caught his breath he ran forward toward her again, as he yelled out, "Mama, save me!" And hid behind her, laughing.  
  
Kaoru got a bright smile on her face, ' This is my family?' She thought this as her savior walked toward her. She could see his grin become a smile that she new was only for her and the bright glint in his lavender eyes. ' Wait? Purple eyes?'  
  
Then the image blurred, and she was plunged back into darkness.  
  
(end of dream) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Once Kenshin got to their room, he laid the girl in the bed, and undid his armor, while sitting by the fire to get dry. It would seem that the 'girl' only got drizzled on, and she had dried already.  
  
As soon as Kenshin got dry, he picked up his sword (that he had laid down next to him), walked over to the Princess. He sat down next to her bed, with the sword propped up on to his shoulder, and his armor laying next to him.  
  
Kenshin looked down to the lady lying next to him, and smirked, as she got closer to him, as if she was searching for something. She smiled as she grabbed his arm, but he frowned as he had an urge to – to – well to do something.  
  
' Why is she affecting me like this? Did she cast a spell cause she knew I was there? I know that she's an Enchantress, Hiko told me that much.' Kenshin's thoughts were cut short once again as a loud sob caught his ears, and he lowered his face, to the princess', only to see a tear run down her face, she sobbed again and pushed him away from her, but he caught her arm as she was turning away, his momentum was enough to pull her on top of him as he fell backward. He saw her tears roll down her face, and felt them fall on his cheeks, and roll into his hair. He looked at her pained face, as she pounded her fists on his chest, he just now noticed that his arms were locked around her.  
  
' What's going on? Why is she acting like this?' Kenshin was trying to figure it out. When he tasted blood on his lips, he immediately stilled.  
  
'What...?' Kenshin looked franticly for where on her flawless skin she could have gotten hurt...  
  
Then...  
  
He spotted it, on her throat was a cut, but it looked as if it wasn't deep enough to kill her. The blood was dripping down her neck a little ways, and then dropping on to him.  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened, ' How in the world could she have gotten that?'  
  
Then as another drop of blood was about to fall, it disappeared, along with the cut, and all the rest of the blood.  
  
Kenshin's eyes were the size of suckers. ' HOW...?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaoru was in the cold dark abyss again.  
  
And she wanted warmth, so she looked for it, but everywhere she looked all she saw was black.  
  
But then she found something, it was warm and soft, so she held onto it like a lifeline.  
  
But then she saw the colored lights whoosh past her again, and, as the last one had done, one hit her in the forehead  
  
But Kaoru didn't find the warm, sunny day, and her future family she was expecting... *^*^*^*(Dream)^*^*^*^*  
  
Kaoru looked around the pitch-blackness.  
  
She felt cold, confused, uncomfortable, tired, and strained as though some one had drained all of her power, and strength.  
  
She could hear chains' rattling, somewhere, there was a person locked up.  
  
But then she felt cold, and rusty metal against her wrists, and as her senses came back to her once more, Kaoru could hear the rattles of the chains much closer then she had thought.  
  
She put two and two together, and the truth hit her, she was that person that was locked up.  
  
She heard her prison door creak open and she looked up to see, a torch, and a prison guard coming toward her. He unlocked her wrists and grabbed her upper arm roughly, and pulling her unfriendly out of the prison, all the while Kaoru knew that something horrible was about to happen, so she tried to get away, but the mans steel like grip was hard to escape from. Up cold stone steps they walked, down hallway after hallway, lighting flashed, and Kaoru could see gargoyles, and armored statues, she was still trying to get away.  
  
Soon they got to an intersection of hallways, and the guard stopped.  
  
He immediately unsheathed his sword and put it to Kaoru's neck. Lighting flashed again and Kaoru looked to her left to see her red haired savior coming at them with godlike speed, but he stopped abruptly when he saw the sword go to her throat.  
  
Lighting flashed again and Kaoru could see his gold eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you Gohei." Her savior said venomously, Kaoru could hear his glare in his voice that was dripping with anger.  
  
Kaoru looked at the red head stunned, never, had she heard him this way.  
  
"And why the hell not Battousai, you've obviously grown attached to her, have you not? So that means that she is your weakness. I'll kill her slowly, and laugh as I see your pain, as you watch her die." The man named Gohei said.  
  
Kaoru stood stock-still 'Battousai...? My savior is the Hitokiri Battousai? No! That can't be true! He is NOT my enemy!'  
  
Gohei laughed in a sinister way, as he started to cut into Kaoru's pale flesh. And Kaoru sobbed in pain, shutting her eyes closed tight, and started thrashing about, trying desperately to get away. She screamed as Gohei cut deeper.  
  
But that immediately stopped, when Kaoru heard a clash of swords, a thud of a body, and warm, sticky blood, ooze down her face, as if she was in a warm rainstorm.  
  
Kaoru was trembling from head to toe; she knew that something horrible just happened.  
  
Kaoru looked up, as she felt warm arms around her, and she looked strait into Battousai's gold eyes. Then something different happened then the last time he saved her, his eyes started to turn lavender...  
  
'What...?'  
  
"Come on lets go." The manslayer said, as they walked past the deceased Gohei on the floor. Kaoru shuddered as she saw the dead mans body on the floor and unconsciously walked closer to the Battousai...  
  
And as she got closer to him, he grabbed her arm swung her around to face him, and...  
  
Then as it had done before everything blurred. (end of dream) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kenshin just looked at the 'girl' as she collapsed on top of him, but he noticed that she didn't stop shuddering, and shaking.  
  
Kenshin put her in a sitting position in his lap, and stood up, with her in his arms.  
  
He tucked her into the bed once again, but as he was pulling the covers up to her neck, her eyes opened, and she sat up so quick that, Kenshin, being so fast that he was, didn't have the time to move...  
  
BAM!!  
  
Their heads collided...  
  
Kenshin was moving backwards as fast as possible, grabbing his head in the process, and moaning incoherent things, if you listened closely you could hear things like:  
  
"Damn. That hurt." "Why did I take this mission...?" Or "My Head! How could she move that fast when she just woke up?" ^*^*^*^* And, Kaoru, just looked around herself, and noticed that she wasn't in her room at all...  
  
"Where am I?" Kaoru thought aloud. She went to stand, but the movement made her head hurt, a lot. It felt like a javelin went through her head.  
  
So she limited her movement to looking around, she noticed that she was in an Inn of some sort. It was a fairly clean Inn, but the spider webs on the walls were a bit distracting. She knew that she still had her dress on from earlier, good, at least she knew she wasn't kidnapped by a pervert.  
  
Looking around more she saw a dresser, some candle fixtures, a coarsen lamp, a body, a bathroom, a balcony ----  
  
Wait a second! A body!  
  
She searched the room for an aura, and she found one, it was, at the moment, a nice dark blood red, and she could see the glint of the Battousai's wicked gold eyes, and the highlights of his moonlit maroon hair.  
  
' Why would the legendary Battousai the Manslayer kidnap me? Besides the fact that I'm the next queen to the throne, since my parents were the original King and Queen, Uncle Saito is only taking over until I am ready to take the throne. ( Basically when she's 20 she'll take over.)' Kaoru thought.  
'Well geeze! Think about it, every empire would want to kidnap you! You are an Enchantress that can see in the future, past, and present! You can cast curses, and spells of all kinds, and that includes healing people. And you're a mater at Kamiya Kashine ryu! (A/N: Tell me how to spell that please!!!) Now ask yourself, 'Why would someone kidnap you?' !' Kaoru mentally smacked her self upside the head.  
  
Kaoru then remembered her latest dream, and her hands went to her throat, and gasped a sigh of relief as she didn't feel a cut of any kind. 'And that's another reason people would like to kidnap you, to take your instant healing powers in your blood.'  
  
Immediately Kaoru sobbed, 'that was a premonition? Will that happen? Oh, God I don't want to die! If that sword went another way my head would have been sliced off...'  
  
^*^*^*^*  
  
Kenshin heard a fait, bell like voice say, "Where am I?" and he knew that it was the princess.  
  
Kenshin looked up, and could see the princess try to stand, but she stopped. He could see her look around, skim him, but then instantly go back to him. He could feel her aura stretch out to him, brush his, then retreat a little, then become bolder and stretch out to him again, as if for comfort. Kenshin watched her movements, as he saw her quivering hand touch her neck, were the cut he'd seen was.  
  
She let out a shaky sigh as she noticed it was not there.  
  
But she let out a sob, put her head in her lap, as she brought her arms around her knees, her long tresses of hair coming around her as a curtain. It seemed that that ribbon she had in earlier wasn't in her hair any more...  
  
But her aura stayed where it was, beckoning him to walk over to her, to protect her in some way from the future.  
  
Kenshin knew it was that, stories told of a beautiful Princess born to the Osaka Castle that could see the future, he wasn't surprised that it was the Lady with him now.  
  
Kenshin stood and walked over to her, he sat down next to her, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Kaoru knew that the man was watching her every movement, but she didn't care, she felt sick to her stomach.  
  
But Kaoru didn't expect what he was doing now.  
  
She heard Battousai get up and walk over to her.  
  
'What is he going to do?' Kaoru thought drastically  
  
But when she felt his presents close enough to touch her, and his hand on her shoulder, she looked threw the hole where her arms and legs connected. To see him sitting next to her.  
  
Kaoru brought her head up from her makeshift cradle, turned to him, and looked at him with confused, teary eyes.  
  
' Why is Battousai helping me? Why is he comforting me?'  
  
But now, to Kaoru it didn't matter.  
  
Kaoru let out a string of sobs, and flung herself at the man. Wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder.  
  
^*^*^*^  
  
Kenshin was surprised at first, but as she let out all of her grief, he felt like he had to do more then just let her cry on him.  
  
Kenshin started to rub circles into her back, say babyish things in her ear, and caress her hair, he felt her tears wet his black Gi.  
  
As her tears, and sobs subsided to shaky breathing, and hiccups, she moved back into a sitting position in front of him, but her tear stained face was barely five inches from his face.  
  
Kenshin saw a tear start to fall down her face, and he lifted his hand from rubbing her back and swiped it away with the pad of his thumb.  
  
"Shh, it's okay now, would you like to tell me about it?"  
  
"I-I saw (hiccup) I mean... I felt... I mean... Oh it was h-horrible , a man named Gohei d-died,"  
  
Kenshin stopped what he was doing for a second, but recovered as she continued her head bowed with her head in her hands.  
  
"A-And you... you killed him... and... he tried to kill me... and..."  
  
Kenshin just sopped at that, ' What did she know? How much did she see? And why would Gohei try to kill her?'  
  
As Kaoru fully recovered she asked him a question.  
"Why?"  
  
"What?" Kenshin asked  
  
"Why would you, Battousai, try to comfort me when I know that you should kill me instead?"  
  
Kenshin just looked at her stunned, ' So, she knows who I am, and why I am here in the in the first place."  
  
"Why? I don't know why." Kenshin said his anger coming back full force. " You shouldn't ask stupid questions."  
  
"Is it really a stupid question?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"..." Kenshin didn't say any thing, as he got up and walked out the door.  
  
As he was about to close the door, he heard something behind him, he moved his head to one side to see a knife hit the wall he was across from.  
  
Kenshin looked back at the Princess with a furious glare, he saw that she had four more knifes in her hand and he knew that she had more stashed away in her dress some where. She was standing in a defensive position, and looking at him in a cold, ice blue glare of her own.  
  
"We weren't done talking yet." She said her voice as venomous as her glare.  
  
Kenshin just gave her a cool stare, and started walking out the door again when a knife grazed his ear and cut some of his hair.  
  
There was a flash, and Kenshin was right behind her his sword out and by the back of her neck. And Kaoru had turned around with a knife at his throat...  
  
WELL!!  
  
That's it for now I'll try to get the next chapter out on Thursday or Friday. All readers!! Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!! Review if you have the time. And if you want, give me some tips on what to do next...  
  
Special thanks to Lindsey for helping me come up with a few ideas.  
  
And all my first reviewers Thank you all so much!  
  
Ja,  
  
Moon Baby. 


	3. Useless Fighting

Standard Disclaimers Apply To All Chapters!!!  
  
HELLO readers!! I'm so glad you liked my last chapter! ^-^ The plot is going to thicken, soon... maybe... ^-^ Thank you Chris and CurlsofSerenity for telling me how to spell ' Kamiya Kasshin Ryu' it was the utmost helpful. Oh yeah CurlsofSerenity thanks for pointing out the mistake I made, I'll fix it in this chapter... ( I feel kind of embarrassed.. =^_^= ) OH! And Tsugoi Kakarlena thanks for keeping me on my toes, you can put that Katana away now... ^-^;; And All reviewers thanks you tons!  
  
OKAY!!! Well a little thing on this story you would like to know... Soujiro, Megumi, Sano, Aoshi, and Misao are going to be in the story, I just haven't gotten to them yet. But I will, you can count on that. I don't know if I want Enishi in there yet, but you can count on other enemies being in the story, (such as Shishio, Jinei, and of course Gohei.) The rating of this story MAY change, but I don't know yet.  
  
Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter (again oO;; ^_^)!!!  
  
Escapeing Destiny  
  
By: Moon Baby  
  
Chapter 3  
  
It was Kaoru's turn to be livid...  
  
First.  
  
The man that was her savior turned out to be her enemy, and was playing with her emotions! The @#$%^*& didn't know what he was dealing with!! She could kill him with out thinking, and that doesn't mean with Kunai knives or the sword that she uses. She meant magic, not even the Hitokiri Battousai himself is quick enough to stop her from using destructive and killing spells!  
  
And Second.  
  
How the hell could she have liked the guy in the first place!!! She knew that she had challenged the Battousai first, but he was tempting her limits, and he was quick to find that she hadn't too many restraints on her anger, and when you made Kamiya Kaoru mad, you really made her mad. He didn't even answer her question! And now that they were in a compromising position, even with her Kunai at his throat, she could still hear and feel his heart beat. And with the dull edge of his Katana at the nape of her neck... It seemed that he wanted to press her body to his, or he didn't want to, but her turning around made it seem like that.  
  
And why did he strike with his dull edge when he wants to kill her...  
  
' Or maybe he doesn't want to kill me he wants to take me to his power- hungry King! Ug the nerve of this man is unbearable!!'  
  
On the outside Kaoru looked calm, except for the fact that she was growling at the Battousai, giving him an icy blue glare, and trying to dig her Kunai knife into his throat without braking skin. Ok, so she wasn't as clam as Battousai, but still...  
  
^*^*^*^*^*  
  
On the other hand...  
  
Kenshin was angry at first, seeing that she had done something so naïve, and stupid as to challenge the Hitokiri Battousai just because he didn't answer a question he didn't have the answer to.  
  
But seeing her angry...  
  
Now that was amusing.  
  
He smirked at her as he felt the knife dig into his skin. Kenshin's hand went up to the Princess',  
  
"You shouldn't play with things you don't know about." Kenshin stated. Kenshin tried to take the knife out of her hands, to find that she had a very strong grip.  
  
"Let go if you know what's good for you." Kenshin said a little impatient.  
  
"And you know what's good for me?" The princess had a mock shock look on her face. "I really don't think so." She said in a singsong voice.  
  
Kenshin glared, "Your trying to make this harder than it already is." His voice cold and annoyed, it was obvious, he was angry. Kenshin's grip tightened on her hand, it seemed like he was testing her strength by crushing her hand. She didn't even flinch.  
  
"Hey you're the one who kidnapped me in the first place." She glared back.  
  
"I was ordered too." His voice going to an angry whisper.  
  
"Then why does your Master want to kidnap me?" The Princess growled out, she was trying to get information out of him, he could tell.  
  
"That's for us to know and you to find out." Kenshin growled back.  
  
"Is it?" She says as she drops her knives on the futon, and brushes Kenshin's bangs out of his face.  
  
Kenshin was shocked to say the least, "What are you doing?" his voice a menacing whisper.  
  
The Princess didn't answer, only smiled seductively.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Osaka Castle was in up roar...  
  
Their precious Princess Kaoru was kidnapped right from under their noses.  
  
Saito couldn't help but curse all the time, ' damn them, damn them all to hell and back!'  
  
It seemed that the enemy had been planning to kidnap or kill the rightful queen to the throne for ages.  
  
The day she had gone missing, every one had looked for her... but in the end no one had found her. The next day they searched for her nonstop, but that day Yahiko had found her favorite blue ribbon. It was where he usually found her when she wanted peace, quite, and freedom. It had given them, the hunters, and the whole search squad a clue..., but not a very big one. They searched the place around that for a long time; there was no blood what so- ever. That had given them the information that someone had taken her, and the whole palace had relaxed, and tensed at the same time. They relaxed because they knew that the only people that could have taken her where the Hiten Mitsurugi's, so they knew who had taken her, and where they where, not really, but they knew she was in enemy territory.  
  
And that's why they tensed, in enemy territory, they couldn't get to Kaoru, and they had no idea how to save her... They'd have to wait till the time was right, and that time isn't going to be there any time soon...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kenshin just looked at the Princess as she pressed her forehead against his...  
  
Kenshin was a ball of nerves right now... but on the outside he didn't show it.  
  
' What is she doing to me?'  
  
Kenshin's eyes where looking for a way out... he didn't find any, so he looked back at the princess, ' BIG mistake!!!!' Kenshin thought. But he couldn't look away; he was in her spell, noticing that he was being affected at how close their lips where, how she smelled like jasmine, how she wrapped her arms around him.  
  
He went to kiss her, when he smelled something burning...  
  
This time Kenshin saw a real smile grace her lips.  
  
The Princess smiled evilly, "Your head is on fire."  
  
Kenshin backed away from her quickly, he saw on her fingertip was a small ball of fire. He saw her wave her hand and it was gone, but the fire burning his hair was still there.  
  
Kenshin shot her a death glare, "If I kill you, would it stop?"  
  
"No." Kaoru said shaking her head, her bright eyes still on him. "Only I can stop it."  
  
"I think you're bluffing." Kenshin's voice was getting hard to hear. His sword flashed an eerie blue. The princess just smiled nervously. Kenshin smirked he called her bluff.  
  
But before he could kill her, she snapped her fingers, and the fire was gone.  
  
Kenshin glared he was going to have to cut it short...  
  
"You don't have to cut it at all." The princess said in an angry, and bored voice. "Geeze, you're no fun."  
  
Kenshin just looked at her dumfounded, ' Can she read my thoughts?' Kenshin concentrated in his mind until... He felt something, or someone in this case, searching his mind, like a person filing through papers. His eyes widened.  
  
"Yes I can read your thoughts." The princess said, now interested, she was reading his past...  
  
"Ahhh... so your name is Kenshin, that's a nice name." She said happily, a bright smile on her face.  
  
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" Kenshin roared, he saw her grab her head and fall to the floor.  
  
For Kenshin the searching feeling stopped, his hand went to feel his hair, it was still there, Kenshin growled, Kaoru didn't have the right to do that.  
  
Kenshin stopped again, 'Wait how did I know her name? I didn't ask her for it.'  
  
He heard coughing, and looked to Kaoru, baffled once again.  
  
Her hunched form, he could see, she was holding her hand over her chest.  
  
"You know my name.... Battousai, because if I read some ones mind... then they can see into mine... and since I only got as far as your name, you only got a far as mine as well." Kaoru said coughing in between the words. "Will you do me a favor and not yell in your head when I'm in it? It hurts a lot." Kaoru was recovering.  
  
"No." Kenshin said. "You didn't have the right to look into my mind in the first place, and if you do that again I promise I will yell." Kenshin's voice was a poisonous whisper; he could see Kaoru shiver.  
  
"Well Shinta," she saw his gold eyes stare her down in a glare as deadly as his voice. "The only reason I read your hateful, blood covered, murdering mind was to find out your name."  
  
Kaoru saw him disappear and come back behind her, tightly gripping her neck; Kaoru's hands instantly went up to his hand trying to free herself.  
  
"Do you think I like doing my job?" Kenshin breathed into her ear, sending a tingling sensation down her back.  
  
Kaoru stayed silent, she didn't know how to answer that.  
  
"I-I'd think you would like it as much as Jinei." Kaoru whispered, stumbling on an answer.  
  
Kenshin just dropped her on the floor none to gently, ' So she's already had an encounter with Jinei has she.'  
  
'Yes I already had an encounter with Jinei. It seems you know him, with the way you act, I would think you're very good friends.' Kenshin heard Kaoru's thoughts in his head, and he turned to her.  
  
"I wouldn't stoop so low as to be that bastards friend." Kenshin narrowed his eyes a little bit. "Get out of my head."  
  
Kaoru just smiled sweetly, though he could tell that there was a tinge of sarcasm there. "I would, but it seems that I can't." Kenshin just looked at her with wide eyes,' What do you mean you can't?' Kaoru tried again, and Kenshin felt something tugging on his mind, but it stopped. "See."  
  
Kenshin just looked at her. "You've got to be joking."  
  
Kaoru tried again, but nothing happened, 'No, I'm not joking.' Kenshin could feel panic, but it wasn't coming from him, well not all of it at least. Kaoru was panicking, this had never happened to her before.  
  
'I can't believe this! You could have just asked for my name, and then this would have never happened, I thought you could see the future!' Kenshin was- well right he couldn't sort out his emotions, but he was enraged, that he new.  
  
'I CAN see into the future, but that only comes to me in dreams, you moron. And besides if I asked you your name would you have told me?' Kaoru was just as mad as he was.  
  
Kenshin didn't answer.  
  
'I thought so.' Kaoru thought to him.  
  
Kenshin just growled at her.  
  
'Why did Hiko tell me to kidnap her?'  
  
'HEY!!! I can hear you, ya' know!' Kaoru kept glaring at him.  
  
'Well you weren't supposed to kidnap her, you were supposed to kill her'  
  
"HEY! I CAN HEAR YOU, YA' KNOW!!!" Kaoru yelled, and thought at the same time.  
  
Kenshin winced in response, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* (In another room...)  
  
"Newly Weds..." A man said shaking his head in frustration. ~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kaoru glared at him as she winced as well, ' Don't talk and think like I'm not here!'  
  
'Well that's kind of hard, if you haven't noticed, I'm not used to having a WOMAN in my head!  
  
'Thank you for telling me that, Captain Oblivious. Though it's not every day my powers backfire on me! If I knew this would happen I wouldn't have tried anything!' Kaoru yelled at him.  
  
Kenshin stopped.  
  
'Your powers backfired? I thought you had control on them.' Kenshin said in a accusing tone.  
  
'Well I'm not my mother, okay.' Kaoru said bitterly.  
  
Kenshin looked at her. She was glaring at him through tears, it looked like she was desperate to unlink them, or talking about her mother stimulated her crying.  
  
'I never said you were your mother.'  
  
Kaoru didn't say or think anything from that point on.  
  
And Kenshin left the room.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kenshin walked down the steps to the bar, he needed something to drink. He couldn't believe what the woman had gotten him into. Wasn't he always telling his Master that women were bad luck? Ug! He never listens! Ignorant man.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaoru heard all of what Kenshin was saying in his mind, until they weren't full sentences, 'Must be drinking.' Kaoru got a dizzy filling, 'so anything that happens to him takes effect on me too.' Kaoru vaguely heard Kenshin get into the room and fall into a corner, and darkness over came her, and she slept.  
  
But Kenshin was still awake; the alcohol doesn't effect him as much. His golden eyes all to watchful...  
  
WELL!!! That's it, I'm sorry I didn't extend the chapter much, but  
I'm stuck. I don't know what to do... Maybe if I rest on it... All  
well, until next Thursday. And if you have any ideas on what to do  
tell me and I'll see if I can put them in... Maybe it'll give me an  
idea... And again thank you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!! If you have the  
time review please!!!  
  
Ja Ne,  
  
Moon Baby. ow Ho f 


	4. It's Beginning

Standard Disclaimers Apply To All Chapters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
DUDE!!!!! People Thank you all for encouraging me!!! And CurlsofSerenity!!!!!! YOU'RE THE BEST!!!! Thank you so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so... *Huff, huff, gasp* so, so, so, so, so much for getting me on the right track!! ( For your idea.... ( Yes, I think I can fix that in, maybe not exactly like that cause that would be steeling a perfectly great idea... BUT I will incorporate it! Can't say too much... there are readers watching.^_^;; I have read some of your story, and I think it's really good, keep it up!!! ( And Setine I read your fic and I don't think that you need my help... but I will if you want me too. -_-;; (  
  
AND ALL OF MY READERS!!!!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate you reviewing! You guys ( and ladies of course () are what keep me thinking and typing... I thank you all a thousand times over! I'm sorry I got this out sooo late... Fanfiction.net was on line then it was off line for 5 days.... And I was busy too (I GOT TO GO TO SIX FLAGS!!!! ^____________^) ... And.... Yeah.... Sorry... But, hey the chapter is in now! (  
  
NOTEICE: Now on to the part you are all going to yell at me for.... Please I'm a fragile physicy don't hurt me!!!! -_-;; My parents decided out of the blue that the whole family will go on a vacation... ( ;_; my story! WAAA!! ;_; I'm going to be away from my precious computer!! NOOOO!!! O.o;; ) well anyways.. It turns out that we will be leaving at the end of the month, well the 31st , and will be coming back sometime the next week... O.O;; (sobbing* nooo... *sniff, sniff* ) I'm just telling you 2 days before hand... I told you I'm busy... -_-;  
  
Escapeing Destiny  
  
By: Moon Baby  
  
Warnings: This might be rated R for violence... (There is a certain part of the chapter that makes it so...)  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Sun light filled the place...  
  
It played on the features of a lithe enchantress.  
  
Though to all that looked at her they wouldn't be able to tell that she was. Kaoru was slowly becoming awake; in her mind she heard a deep mumbling voice.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open to greet the sunlight.  
  
For a moment she forgot where she was, and thought she was just having a horrible dream...  
  
Even though that wouldn't be comforting either, since all of her dreams came true...  
  
As she became more aware of her surroundings she noticed that she wasn't at the Inn were Kenshin and her had stayed the last night. Kaoru was in a forest, looking up at a bright blue sky. She blinked, ' Why do you only travel when I'm a sleep?...'  
  
' Because I don't like it when I have to stop all the time.' Came a deep, cold, seeming forlorn voice in her head. It made her tremble with anticipation, he was here... somewhere... Kaoru sat up.  
  
'Oh, so you don't think I can handle running and walking on the road to who knows where? Well, You're wrong... I'm not a pampered princess...' Memories flashed through her head, the ones she always wanted to forget about... She shivered mentally, and physically; she bowed her head and hugged herself... ' Don't think that I'm a person that hasn't gone through anything... Because even though you have killed, and are more blood stained then I am, I'm sure I have gone through more horrible things then you have...'  
  
'What do you mean by that?' Kenshin looked down at her from where he was sitting high up in a tree.  
  
'What? That I have gone through more horrible things then you have?'  
  
'No, that I'm more blood stained then you are.'  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened when out of who knows were Kenshin dropped right in front of her, his cape flying around him, his hair also flying behind him, but it was restrained at the nape of his neck, his golden eyes gaping into hers like they where doors. They sat there for what seemed like an eternity, and when Kaoru thought that he saw enough of her truth-bonded sole, she looked away. ' Battousai you know of what I am, of what I may see, of what I can do... Do you think that you are the only one who has kidnapped me before? I really think that out of all of them that were men, you're the one that's closest to humanity. But to survive them and to get back home I... I had to... well decapitate some of them.' Kenshin raised his hand to her chin and raised it so that he was looking in her eyes again, some how it hurt him to see her tear fall down her face.  
  
'You killed them, you mean.' Kenshin thought to her raising an eyebrow, a bit skeptical.  
  
"Yes..." Kaoru said putting her head down like she had done a devious crime, more tears escaped her closed-tight eyes.  
  
"But you used powers, not a sword." Kenshin said in a remorseful tone.  
  
"No. I used the weapons that I could get. But some of them, yes, I was forced to use my powers." Kaoru said putting her head lower into her chest, she was a bit surprised of his use of emotion, but was too caught up wallowing in despondency.  
  
"You don't like using your skills, do you?"  
  
"I like using most of them, but the enchanted future, past, present, and mind part... no I don't. I like my skills surrounding the spells, elementals, potions, and shape changing. I also like to fight with a sword, Kunai knives, what tactics I have learned training, and using the skill reminds me of my late father..." Kaoru looked up to Kenshin to see that he was alert. "What? What's the matter?"  
  
'Someone is coming.' Kenshin's now cold voice came into her mind.  
  
Kaoru was a little upset that she had, had him using emotion, and now he was disinterested again, but she listened intently all the same, she could her the fait steps of feet, 'It's more then one person.'  
  
'Yes, there are three, maybe four.' Kenshin looked at Kaoru, 'Stay.' He thought menacingly giving her a glare almost as bad.  
  
'What? I'm as good as you are at fighting!' But Kenshin was not to be swayed.  
  
'Only if you use your powers. If you didn't have them, I could kill you in a second where you are. But that little detail, is keeping me from killing you, and the fact that Hiko told me to only kill you only if it was necessary-...' Kenshin stopped thinking to her and looked back to hear the intruders.  
  
'I thought you said, and I quote, I was ordered to kill you. But you just said that you weren't ordered to kill me you were ordered to kidnap me, and if it was necessary then kill me.'  
  
'Killing is faster. I wanted to go home. You would have caused more trouble then you're worth. And it was raining.' Kenshin thought to her irritated.  
  
'Yeah... Thanks. Hey! I don't cause that much damage!' Kaoru thought back with a scowl on her face, as she crossed her arms over her chest tightly.  
  
'You already did.' Kenshin thought to her in a neutral tone; that sounded like it was supposed to be under his breath if it wasn't thought to her.  
  
'Really? How? In what possible way did I cause that much trouble?' Kaoru gave him a glare.  
  
'Princess, you may find this no trouble at all, but I think that it is like a curse to have a women in my head.' Kenshin thought to her, very irritated, and angry.  
  
'Oh that...' Kaoru said rolling her eyes, her arms loosening on her chest.  
  
'It's great you are paying attention. It really is.' Kenshin thought to her in a mock tone.  
  
'Can you stop being arrogant for one second!? Do you really think that I like this?! It's as much as a curse to me as it is to you!' Kaoru thought to him, trying her damnedest not to yell.  
  
'Well that's news to my ears.' Kenshin thought to her in the same mocking tone.  
  
Kenshin could hear her growling in his ear. He smirked; it's been awhile since he could make someone angry.  
  
Kenshin saw 3 men and a woman come into sight, he heard Kaoru growl louder, and he glanced at her...  
  
Kaoru's eyes were silts and glazed, a shaking fist scrunching her pathetic excuse for a dress on her thigh. He saw a memory that wasn't his pass through his head. Kaoru was in the same position as the woman in front of them was; all of the men were the same as in the memory. Kenshin just looked at Kaoru, she was glaring her hardest. She was whispering 'but I killed him' over and over.  
  
The memory in Kenshin's mind went further he saw them start to rape her, but something flashed before they could do damage... Kaoru's skin turned a light red, and instead of ice blue eyes, they had flames in them. The men though didn't seem to notice, and the leader of the bandits kissed her, Kenshin saw her bite his tong off, and spit it out of her mouth, she sat up in an angry flare. She threw the man off her, and looked at the remainder men. The men went to their leader, and turned him over, Kenshin heard them gasp in shock as they saw his face. The mans face had 3rd degree burns on his face, the skin around his mouth was burned off to the bone, and blood was oozing out of his head. The dead mans lackeys shook with fear and ran away.  
  
Kenshin just looked at Kaoru stunned, he didn't think she could do that. She was glaring death to all.  
  
'Come on, lets go.' Kenshin ordered, as he got up from his place and walked the other way from the seen, while grabbing Kaoru's hand making her follow him.  
  
'What!? No! We have to go back! We have to help that girl!' Kaoru was pulling a tugging every which way to get out of his steel like grip.  
  
'No.'  
  
'WHY?! I don't want what happened to me to happen to her.'  
  
Kenshin stopped, turned on his heal and glared at her. 'This is why I don't travel with other people, especially women.'  
  
'Well, this is why I hate men!' Kaoru turned on her heal, and ran to the girl.  
  
'Why does this always happen to me?' Kenshin and Kaoru thought at the same time. Kaoru just grinned, and Kenshin glared at her fast running form.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kaoru could hear the screams of the other girl...  
  
'I'm not going to make it on time!'  
  
Kaoru ran faster... Kaoru broke through the grove of trees, and ran at the first man she saw. The leader was on the floor panting, and holding his ribs.  
  
"Oh! So you want to be done too, huh?" He got up, wiped the blood off his mouth, and cackled. Kaoru glared at him.  
  
"You need to do something better with your life." Kaoru stated.  
  
The man just looked at her, and laughed. "Oh! And you're going to stop me little girl."  
  
Kaoru just smiled, "I'm not going to stop you..."  
  
"WHAT!" Everyone around her said surprised, and the girl on the ground gave her a pleading look.  
  
"No, because stopping people is slowing them down.... On magic terms... And I'm not going to stop you I'm going to drown you."  
  
The man just looked at her wide-eyed, when she said magic he had stopped laughing all together. 'That's how my brother died!'  
  
"OH! So it was your brother last time, huh? Well I fried him, and I'm not going to fry you I'm going to wash you out."  
  
The man did a double take, "You can read thoughts!"  
  
"Why of course, you don't miss anything, do you?" Kaoru winked at him.  
  
"You killed my brother?" His eyes looked like they were set a blaze. In Kaoru's mind, she saw a brief flash of a sword and blood splashing every were... She was nauseated at first 'cause she could smell the blood as if she had killed them her self... But when she looked back up... she didn't see any dead men at all...  
  
The man laughed, "You don't seem to be in the shape to fight, are you sick little girl?"  
  
"Enough talk." Kaoru stated. She didn't want to smell the blood, and she new that the smell of seawater could wash it out. She waved a hand at the girl and a golden shield formed around her. Looked back at the men, and noticed that it wasn't men now... It was A man, just one,  
  
'The other two must have escaped...'  
  
'I got them already...' Kaoru heard Kenshin in her mind.  
  
'Really? They escaped and you cleaned them up....'  
  
'No they escaped like the cowards they are, and I killed them.'  
  
'That's what I meant, I was trying to not have any gory details.'  
  
Kaoru put her arms strait above her head, hands over-lapping her left hand under her right, palms facing out. Kaoru put most of her energy in to her hands, and a red-eyed, blue water-dragon came out of her right palm. The man looked like he was about to shit bricks, and was cowering in front of a tree. Kaoru smiled at him, and she brought her hands down strait in front of her. The Water dragon divided from her hands and waited patiently in front of her...  
  
Kaoru looked at the dragon, "Refute," the male dragon looked back at her. Kaoru looked back at the man in front of her, and she nodded at him... "Make sure that this man will never reproduce again, and if he makes a fuss... Kill him." The dragon looked back at the man, and bared his teeth, in what seemed like a smile. Refute immediately went after the terrified man, a wave of water to back him up, he had a smile on his face, he never got to kill on a mission.  
  
Kaoru looked away from the bloody scene, she could hear the man yell and scream in pain, the man had made a fuss... She looked back at Refute. He ripped apart the stupid man, and ate him limb by limb. Refute smiled at Kaoru, and bowed, then dispersed in a wave of water. The big gentle wave went above her head; it cleaned up the big bloody spot on the ground. The bloody smell in her nose disappeared. Kaoru looked at the woman in her aura made shield. The woman looked relived, entranced, and terrified at the same time. Kaoru walked toward her, took the shield down, and smiled at her.  
  
"Are you okay?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"Yes I am quite alright now..." The lady said, with a smile.  
  
Kaoru turned around and looked up to see Kenshin come out of the trees. She smiled at him, relived that he was okay, but was disgusted at the fact that blood was oozing and dripping off of him... She chanted a cleansing spell, and all of the blood disappeared...  
  
Kaoru didn't have to tell Kenshin anything he saw, and felt all of it. And he turned to the saved women, and glared, it was an 'if-you-hurt-her-you- are-dead' kind of glare. But the women only smiled innocently at him...  
  
'Don't trust her Kaoru... Her aura seems evil.'  
  
Kaoru turned to look at the women she saved, and checked her aura... 'I don't feel any thing wrong with her...'  
  
'No... you don't... but I do.'  
  
Kenshin walked over to the women, "We'll take you as far as the next town... that's it." Kenshin said in a venomous voice, and a glare that could kill, he turned on his heal and walked back to Kaoru.  
  
*^*^*^*^*  
  
'So the red dragon doesn't trust me at all... What a very smart man'  
  
The Lady, Gladreal, gave an evil grin. 'I've got you right were I want you now Jasmine blossom... Those stupid men were only decoys... You will see the gates off hell very soon...'  
  
HEY!!!! Well that's it folks! I'll up-date soon.  
  
;P  
  
Ja.  
  
Moon Baby. 


	5. Adversaries Come with vengeance

Standard Disclaimers Apply To All Chapters  
  
Hey all!! It's so nice to know that people like my story!!! ^___^  
  
I love you people! I got back from vacation and there was a whole bunch of reviews right on my puter. ^-^;; Least to say I was so happy that I squealed, then fell off my chair... -_-;; But you didn't need to know that... Anyway! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!!!!!! You guys are the world to me. ^-^ I'm soooooooooo sorry that it took soooooooo long to get this chapter out, and I'm soo sorry that I haven't been able to get this out sooner... I don't think I will use my laptop any more... It's such a hassle. -_-;; So I wont take so long any more. ^~^ * meow * (My puter, My puter! I love my computer! * evil cackle *) Ahem! SOO! If you have the time to review, Please do! I love reviews, you people are my inspiration!! And if you want to have a-say in my story, as in you picture the perfect war scene or romance scene, tell me and I'll try to put it in like that... I will not take all of that idea just to let you know because in my point of view that wouldn't be a surprise... BUT I will use some of your idea and put it in a way that it would even be a surprise to the person that gave me the idea. (I'm rambling) ^__^;; I have school now and I will try to keep up dating this story as much as possible... as well I will use spell check a.m.a.p (considering all the spelling errors I had last time...) ^___________^;; Well I think that's all you need to know.. If you have any questions please ask me or e-mail me at Amine_girl121588@yahoo.com Any way! On with the story!! Again!!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!  
  
Escaping Destiny  
  
By: Moon Baby  
  
(Warning: Major oocness and might be a little graphic. -__-;;) Chapter 5  
  
"My name is Kaoru. What is yours?" Kaoru asked the woman she had saved earlier.  
  
"My name is Galadriel... but you can call me Yuki, that's my middle name." Yuki stated with her best smile plastered to her face.  
  
"Okay Yuki." Kaoru said with a bright smile on her face, obviously fooled in Kenshin's eyes.  
  
Kenshin looked back at the two with a tried temper as they got into small talk. Ever sense that damned woman got stuck in his head it has been hard to keep his emotions under control, and now she has found a dangerous woman that he was sure he had seen before. Can't Kaoru even feel this lady's dark aura!  
  
'You do know I can hear you, right? It's not nice to judge people you don't even kn-' Kaoru gave him an angry stare to the back of his head.  
  
'No, I don't know her personality...but I can feel her inner aura, and that is what I judge.' Kenshin stated giving her a cold, analyzing stare over his shoulder.  
  
'I know... I can see it too, but this is a woman that can change her way-' Kaoru was furious when he cut her off again.  
  
'You know, people never change. And you never think that about people that have that much of a black heart.' Kenshin stopped walking, turned on his heal and gave her a serious glare. All the while she almost ran into him, because she was looking everywhere but him.  
  
'Kenshin! Will you listen!!! Don't you see it? The small light under all that black? This is a woman that can change her ways. She isn't evil... yet. I am on my guard... She seems too- well- relaxed after that incident I supposedly saved her from back there. It's easy to see through people like her. Now you... well lets just say you're harder to crack.'  
  
'Do you want to crack me?' Kenshin looked at her with a smirk. He noticed that she cringed and gave him a stern look.  
  
"What is it with men and sex! Are they buddies or something?! Tell me I'd really like to know!!" Kenshin's smirk turned into a grin when she blinked at him. And he smiled when she blushed as she found out she said that aloud.  
  
'You are the one who was thinking about it, not me.' Kenshin stated in her head as his eyes bore in to hers. Something was wrong; he had a nagging felling that there was...  
  
*^*^*^*^  
  
Yuki... meanwhile was very flabbergasted. 'What the hell is going on...?' She was blinking rapidly from the Red Dragon to the Jasmine Blossom. Kaoru just cut off from talking and glared at the Red Dragon. Then Yuki felt the Jasmine Blossom's ki rise.  
  
'What is she so mad at?' Then she felt Battousai's ki rise to meet Kaoru's, but no further. Yuki saw him glare threw his bangs at Kaoru over his shoulder. 'She is angry with Battousai.. But why? Is it possible that the Jasmine Blossom is reading his thoughts and stumbled across something she didn't like? But then why would he be so mad at her to give her a death glare back?'  
  
Yuki was scratching her head. She felt Kaoru's ki rise higher; as Battousai walked forward once more ... They were acting like they were talking to each other. Then Yuki felt Kaoru's ki fall, as she looked thoughtful...  
  
Then all of a sudden, the Red Dragon turned on his heal, and walked toward Kaoru with that dangerous glare on his face. Kaoru kept walking, but Yuki stopped and walked in to the tree's shelter. Yuki saw the Red Dragon stop the Jasmine Blossom from running in to him by grabbing her shoulders.  
  
Yuki noticed that Kaoru thought the ground looked more interesting then the hansom man in front of her. Yuki smiled evilly at Kaoru, as she now knew that Kaoru liked the man in front of her, or at least it seemed that way... ' This is perfect! Now I know Battousai's weakness.' Yuki gave an evil cackle... but Battousai and the Blossom didn't seem to notice.  
  
Then Kaoru had a disgusted look on her face, as she looked up at the Red Dragon. And he smirked back.  
  
Yuki raised an eyebrow as she started to get nervous... 'I wonder if they figured out my secret. I know I'm not that great at hiding my inner self from people, but I'm better then some.' Yuki saw Kaoru give a stern look to Battousai that said, ' You-disgusting-old-man,' and breathed a sigh of relief as she figured that they wouldn't be talking about her with that look. Then the Jasmine Blossom blurted out a sentence that came out of no- mans land.  
  
"WHAT IS IT WITH MEN AND SEX! Are they buddies or something!? Tell me I'd really like to know!" Yuki saw Battousai's smirk turn into a grin, as Kaoru slapped a hand over her mouth after she stared stupidly at the Battousai's golden eyes for a moment. A blush seemed to spread over the Jasmine Blossom's whole body as she turned to look at Yuki. Yuki saw the Battousai's grin turn into a ghost of a smile.  
  
Yuki just looked stunned, 'Of all the things to talk about in their heads, they talk about that!' She rolled her eyes, 'So the red dragon still likes me dose he...' Yuki gave him a seductive smile. 'I'll play along with this then break his heart in the end, when he finds out that I'm taken.' Yuki threw her head back and cackled iniquity to the world.  
  
*^*^*^*^  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru just looked at Yuki like she was a psychopath.  
  
'What the hell...?' Kenshin thought to Kaoru nervously. Kaoru looked at Kenshin, 'Why did she look at you like a whore would, Kenshin?' They both sweat dropped. Kaoru looked at Kenshin, then looked away. Her pale face and clouded eyes were giving her away.  
  
'What's the matter?' His eyes narrowed in her direction. He had this nagging feeling that he was sick ever since she used Refute, and he was sure that it was coming from her. She also was paler then usual.  
  
''It's nothing...!' Kaoru sounded distraught, 'I'm fine, really, I'm okay.' Kaoru looked at him strait in the eye. But again Kenshin saw threw her act. He took in her whole appearance; she was pale and wavering, could hardly stand. Her hair was messy from her hands wiping away her cold sweat. Her eyes were clouded over in sickness, and her body was giving off an unnatural heat.  
  
Kenshin narrowed his eyes more so that it looked like a stern glare, but Kaoru saw the worry in it. 'It's not nothing, and you are not okay. Why are you lying about being sick, and why did you hide it for so long?'  
  
'I-I'm... I'm not lying!' Kaoru thought to him hoping to be successful in convincing him.  
  
'Kaoru...' Kenshin thought to her in a voice that left no room for arguing.  
  
But some how Kaoru found a way to, 'Really I'm fine, it is nothing, just a little trade of using minor spells...'  
  
Kenshin saw threw it, he saw threw it all. He wanted to yell at her, saying that this wasn't a little trade, she was sick, and at this time there was no place for them to make a stop and get medicine for her. And even the medicine would be bad for her. He wasn't about to let the doctor drain her blood saying that it would get rid of the evil that had bestowed upon her, a sickness. Plus, it was not a minor spell she casted, it was a summoning spell. And this link to her... Damn it! She was getting him sick!  
  
'Kaoru...' He said in the same voice. He felt the hope in her that, he would leave her alone about it. But he knew better, if he left her alone now, she could die. His little control on his anger was sliming down, but he still had some restraints. Thin ones, but they were enough, for now...  
  
'Why do you care any ways? I thought I was just a burden to you.' Kaoru was trying to act as if nothing has happened and that every thing was calm. But on the out side she didn't notice a tear that had fell down her face, from her headache, and rejection.  
  
'Don't you want to kill me? To you, I'm just a wench that always screws up her spell-' Kenshin looked at her with a life defying glare. His restraints had broken. (A/N: Man he didn't last did he?)  
  
'DAMN IT PRINCESS!!' He saw her grab her head in pain, as tears spilt down her face. He sighed guiltily as she bent her knees reedy to fall, but when she was expecting the ground, Kaoru felt a rush of wind under her self, and felt a pair of strong and warm arms surround her. They lifted her up bridle style. 'Now will you just listen to me...?' Kenshin looked at her and sighed... 'Please?' He added in hope that she would.  
  
Kaoru looked at him through blurry sapphire eyes. 'Lets go some where else so Miss Seductive,' Kenshin tilted his head to Yuki, 'over there wont pay attention to us. Is that okay?' He saw Kaoru nod. 'Good.' Kenshin took off, he felt Kaoru grab his armor and shirt tightly and bury her face in the crook of his neck. Kenshin felt her tears drop onto his neck and trail down under his armor, down his chest, and only to disappear when his cloths brushed it away. Kenshin hugged her to him tighter, he hated it when woman cried, but he'd never show it, 'So why am I showing it now?'  
  
Kenshin looked down at Kaoru and noticed that she was falling asleep, 'What is it about you? I feel like I have known you forever, and I have only met you five days ago. Why is it that you can brake the barriers that I have carefully put around my life...?' Kenshin looked back to where he was running. 'I'm so confused. What is this that I'm feeling? And why do I only feel it around you?'  
  
These thoughts only made Kenshin run faster to his destination.  
  
~*~  
  
Yuki just stood there, confused, as she looked at the spot were Battousai and the Jasmine Blossom used to be. She was cackling to the world, and when she looked back...  
  
They were missing... 'Where'd they go? Tomoe isn't going to be happy with me. I let them escape. I guess I should tell her pronto...' And Yuki used her magic and disappeared with out a trace, while wincing at the ways she was expecting Tomoe to react. 'This is not good, not good at all.' ~*~  
  
"YAHIKO!!"  
  
Yahiko jumped in his seat when he heard his mother's voice, and tried to ignore her booming voice, as he was finishing up his studies he was assigned to.  
  
Yahiko got up and grumbled as he walked down the winding stairs to the study...  
  
'Boy I'm in for it now. Only Kaoru would yell at me like that, and if Mom is doing it... I don't even want to think about what she's planning.'  
  
Yahiko got to the study and nervously walked in. He saw his mother sitting at the tea table along with his father; they had her finest china cups and plates out.  
  
"Ah. Mother," Yahiko bowed to his mother, "Father," and he bowed to his father, "You called for me?" he looked at his mother.  
  
"Don't be nervous, dear, you are just late for tea." Tokio smiled at her son. "Won't you sit down?"  
  
Yahiko walked over and sat down. All the while, watching his fathers eyes glisten at him.  
  
"Yahiko, I have a proposition for you," Tokio served them tea, and the small cakes that went with it, all the while smiling at Yahiko.  
  
"Yahiko, We'd like to talk to you about your training." Saito stated, getting right to the point.  
  
Yahiko rolled his eyes... 'Here we go...'  
  
Saito narrowed his auburn eyes at Yahiko at the sight of defiance.  
  
Yahiko was looking for a way out of this, and escape, but he never found one. 'This is not good. I need Kaoru right now. She'd always help me when mom and dad get this way. And now she's not here.' On the outside Yahiko looked clam except for the fact that his eyes kept looking everywhere but his parents.  
  
Tokio smiled, she knew her son would rather be with the local farmers daughter, Tsubame. She was visiting from Kyoto, something about being too scared on her first day of work. Tokio knew her little boy had a crush on the cute little girl.  
  
Tokio's smile grew wider to see Yahiko nervously eat, and Saito saw his wife's amusement. "Yahiko, We'd like to keep up your training, and since your cousin was training you, and she's-" Tokio looked at the table then at Saito for help.  
  
Saito looked at his wife to see her near tears. He hated it when she was like that. 'God I miss her...' Tokio stated in his mind. ' I know you do, love, but we have to stay strong for our son, and for the country. We wont be weeping all the time, okay? For our little one,' Saito patted her stomach. ' And for our growing one.' Saito looked at Yahiko.  
  
Yahiko could tell something was up between his mother and his father, with his dad patting her stomach and all... Yahiko had a feeling that this wasn't just about his training.  
  
"Well Yahiko I'll be training you for now, but in about four months your father will be taking over, until Kaoru comes back."  
  
Yahiko looked at his mother, then at his father, they were hinting at something... "Mother, why, may I ask, that in four months Father will be taking over?"  
  
Tokio beamed at her son. "Well, dear, because I'll be too, well, immovable to train you. And your Father will step up your training."  
  
Saito looked at Tokio and wondered why she was only skimming around the subject. So he answered for her. "Yahiko you are going to be a brother. Your mom is going to have a baby."  
  
Yahiko blinked rapidly between the two of them. "Um... what?"  
  
It was Saito's turn to roll his eyes. "You heard me."  
  
It took a second for Yahiko to digest the information, and when it hit him his eyes widened, 'I'm going to be a brother?' He looked up at his mom and smiled at her. He got up from his seat and ran over to her. He hugged her on the spot. She smiled at him. "So are you up to it?" Tokio whispered in her son's ear.  
  
"Yes Ma'am." Yahiko answered to her double meaning sentence. He was going to need the strength to help his mom and the strength to train with his dad.  
  
Saito smiled a ghost of a smile at his family. Yahiko looked up at his dad and got up and hugged him too. Saito was surprised; he never really got a hug from his eldest son.  
  
Saito hesitantly wrapped his arms around his son, and really smiled this time.  
  
Then the moment was gone and Yahiko let go, as did Saito, and Yahiko beamed his biggest smile at his mother, and ran up the stairs to his chambers, to finish his studies.  
  
But then his mind began pondering. His mind was telling him he shouldn't be this happy. Kaoru was out there, probably being treated horribly. At this he felt guilty, here he was acting like he didn't care about her, when he did care! He was probably the one that took her disappearance the hardest. But his cousin and teacher once told him that when she gets kidnapped to not to worry about her and that she would came back... This Yahiko understood, but this time, he had a nagging feeling that she wasn't going to come back... And if she did he knew that she wouldn't be the same...  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru woke up with the last rays of sun hitting her face.  
  
She became awake little by little and noticed that she was feeling much better than before. She smelt insents beside her and a cool washcloth upon her fore head.  
  
She also noticed that she was in a comfortable bed and that she was staring at what seemed to be the sun set.  
  
Kaoru rubbed her eyes and got a better view of what she thought was there. But it wasn't the sunset she thought.  
  
Kenshin's golden eyes was staring right at her, his red hair looking more like fire in the sunset behind him. His black armor was off and on the floor beside him, and his black cloths were contrasting to his flame like hair and his golden eyes were half shut from drowsiness. He was sitting backwards in a chair, from the room. His arms were propped up in the back of the chair, his head lying on his arms.  
  
Kaoru smiled and sat up to get a better view of him. 'He looks so adorable. Like a child.' She put her washcloth on the bedside stand. She looked at Kenshin again and smiled as she saw his sleeping face. 'What a demon he can be... But he looks so hansom, and cute like this, that it makes me wonder. Is he really the Battousai?' She got up, walking over to him. She knelt down in front of Kenshin and looked at his face. She smiled more and touched his face. She noticed a single scar running along his jaw. It started close to his ear and ran down to a little bit before his cheek ended. She traced her fingertips along this scar and wondered how he got it. Before she could get to the end of it, though, his hand abruptly came out and grabbed her wrist.  
  
His golden eyes opened instantly and he looked at her with a menacing glare. It happened so fast that Kaoru didn't have time to react, to even gasp. Her startled wide sapphire eyes were looking right in to his golden ones. She looked as if she was caught like a deer in the light of a hunter's candle.  
  
"I'm s-sorry... I didn't mean any harm, I j-just was... umm..." She looked away ashamed. Her mind wasn't working; it was just a bunch of confused nerves. 'I sorry,' She managed out to him, 'It wasn't polite of me, and I shouldn't have in the first place.' Kaoru whispered in his mind.  
  
Tears were falling down her face, she felt so guilty. Kenshin let go of her arm and stood up. She shut her eyes and turned away even more. Expecting him to hit her, to leave, well to do something. He did the one thing she didn't expect. Kenshin wrapped his arms around her, and she took in a gasp of shock. Her eyes opened wide in utter disbelief.  
  
Her head turned to look at him; his eyes weren't the color she'd expected them to be. Instead of the blazing gold, they where a soft lavender like the husband in her dream had. Tears trailed down her face and he wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. He smiled at her, "It's alright," He whispered in her ear as well as her mind. "If I wanted you to stop I would had stopped you before you had touched me." He said in the same whisper.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened even more. Kenshin lifted her up bridal style and put her on the bed. She now noticed that she was in a nightgown, instead of her warrior's dress she had on before. She looked up at him confused.  
  
He gave her a small smile. 'The Inns Owner daughter came in here washed you and dressed you in that nightgown, your new set of cloths are right next to your bed,' His eyes pointed to were her cloths were. 'and your old cloths are next to the new ones. I suspect that you want to get dressed so I'll leave...' Kenshin turned to leave, but was stooped by her angelic like voice.  
  
"Wait! I'm so confused... Where are we? What inn are we at? How long have we been here?" Kaoru's hand was on her head as she looked at his back.  
  
'We are no were near your castle, princess. And we have been here for 4 days, which you have slept, and recovered.' Kenshin thought to her in a gentle and soothing voice.  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened again and she looked up again to see him, but he was gone. Kaoru sighed and dropped back on to the bed. She smiled; at least he was opening up to her now...  
  
~*~  
  
Kenshin got up at dawn. And put on his armor, as he put his emotional barriers back in place. 'No more screwing up and letting your emotions go like last night.' Kenshin thought to himself, he walked out of the room he had rented for them.  
  
He had woken up to see her sleeping peacefully in the security of the bed. And he sat there admiring her from afar. Then his commonsense broke in and he got up.  
  
So far, to him this trip has been a total failure. Kenshin walked down the steps of the inn until he got to the inn owner. He gave the owner the keys to his room.  
  
"Is the lady fine?" The owner asked Kenshin and a worry filled tone.  
  
"Yes, she is alright now. I thank you deeply for your help." Kenshin bowed to the man.  
  
The man smiled a knowing smile. "Anything for a pair of sweet hearts." The man chuckled and walked behind the counter.  
  
Kenshin just stood there and glared at the man, but the man didn't catch the golden eyes glance. Kenshin walked back up stairs and into the room. When he got there, he packed all the things he needed in to a small pack that he had gotten over the four-day period. He put Kaoru's cloths in there too, except for the outfit that he had bought the day before.  
  
Kaoru's sickness had affected him more then he thought he would. He had gotten to the Inn right when he was going to collapse him self. He was right Kaoru had gotten him sick too. He had passed out right when the owner's daughter came out, to go home. It had been their first visitor in ages and she helped them out with the room until they could get better. Kenshin had woken up the next day, feeling better from his sickness, but Kaoru still was thrashing about in fever.  
  
Kenshin tooled the Inn's owner not to get the doctor because that would get her fever worse, he told him to get this list of necessary supplies. The Inn owner did as told.  
  
When the owner came back Kenshin looked through the things and nodded his head. The owner and his daughter did as told, the daughter, washing Kaoru's sickness off her with a special lather, and the Owner, putting up the insents and oils about the room then lighting them. Kenshin bought out the room for as long as needed, then said he needed to get some thing. He asked the owner where the nearest market was. The owner told Kenshin that it was five miles to the north of the Inn.  
  
Kenshin thanked the man and walked out of the Inn and headed toward the market.  
  
When Kenshin got there, he walked into a clothing store. That's where he got Kaoru's new cloths. He let the owner of the store wrap the gown in brown paper, and he was on his way.  
  
When he got back to the inn, Kaoru was in a state of calm and sleep. So he let her sleep, and watched her in the night.  
  
After that, Kaoru didn't wake up, and Kenshin was getting worried. The inn owner on many occasions has to calm Kenshin down from being hysterical. The owner gave Kenshin some advice.  
  
"My boy, you need to calm down. I sense that you are a warrior; feel her aura, it is strengthening. If you would only calm down you would see, and feel it."  
  
Kenshin had calmed down after that, and he checked after that. The owner was right her aura was strengthening. But every time Kenshin walked out of the room, or couldn't feel her aura, he was a total wreck. So, Kenshin stayed by her bedside that whole time, and watched her and her aura get better.  
  
Then she finally woke up after the two and a half days he was by her. He was really happy and scared at the same time. He felt her get up from her bed, and walk over to him. He felt comforted by her warmth that he didn't do anything the stop her. She touched his cheek and felt his scar. This he couldn't stand, when she was almost done tracing it he grabbed her hand. He hadn't meant for her to feel so guilty to cry. His barriers broke again, he really was just so happy she was alive. All in four days, the Battousai had softened...  
  
Kaoru was string; he could feel it in her aura. He looked to her form on the bed to see a pair of sapphire pools staring at him, from a laying down position.  
  
'Good morning.' She whispered in his mind.  
  
'Good morning, we need to get on the road in an hour, you have to get ready.' Kenshin said to her.  
  
Kaoru took in his appearance, but she really took a look at his eyes. She sighed they were golden again, but there was a little bit of purple in them. She smiled brightly.  
  
'Alright.' She said to him back. He nodded to her, and left the room. Kaoru felt an unbelievable cold go up her spine when he left, like apart of her was leaving.  
  
Kaoru reassured her self that every thing was fine. Then his voice entered her head. 'You okay?' Kaoru smiled as part of that warmth came back. 'Yeah, I'm fine.' She said back to him. 'Just feeling a little cold.'  
  
'I'm right out in the hall if you need me.'  
  
'Okay.'  
  
Kaoru smiled more; she got up from the bed and looked around the room. There was a dresser by a person-sized mirror. She looked around the room more, confused. 'What am I going to dress with?'  
  
'There is a brow paper parcel on the nightstand. Your cloths are in there.'  
  
'Oh. Thank you.' Kaoru walked over to the nightstand. She opened the parcel and gasped. The gown was so pretty. It was made of beautiful sky blue velvet, with a strip of white velvet in the middle. Silver thread outlined the gown, and four small sliver ropes pulled the blue velvet together in two places at the chest. The rest of the gown was flowy and very movable in. This wasn't a normal Japanese kimono. It was European she had read up on these dresses, they fascinated her. Now she had one. She looked at the selves and saw that they were made of the sky blue velvet and looked like angel selves, she had read up on that religion too. But the selves went tree inches pass her fingertips. As she put on the dress she noticed that every thing fit her every curve. The selves were the only thing that seemed too big, but they weren't she knew that that's how the English wore their dresses.  
  
Kaoru had a very big and bright smile on her face. 'Thank you, Kenshin.'  
  
'Your welcome.'  
  
Kaoru fixed her hair up in to a ponytail with a white ribbon.  
  
She walked to the door, opened it, then walked out. Kenshin was leaning against the hall wall with his left leg propped up against it. He looked up to her and gave her a ghost of a smile.  
  
'You're blushing.' He got up and handed her a black cloak. It had a huge hood on it, and a string at the top to tie it with.  
  
She looked at him skeptically, 'I am not. I think you are seeing things.'  
  
Kenshin grinned at her. 'So maybe I am.'  
  
Kaoru's jaw dropped. 'What?'  
  
'It's nothing.' Kenshin looked at her with his full golden eyes.  
  
'We are leaving now, you need to put that on.' Kenshin pointed at her cloak.  
  
'Okay.' Kaoru though to him and put it on. She put the hood over her head, just stopping short of her bangs.  
  
They walked out of the inn, the owner, and his daughter waving, Kaoru waving back.  
  
~*~  
  
It was getting dark by the time they finished eating dinner.  
  
And they were well on their way to Kenshin's land. Almost out of Kaoru's, not close, but almost.  
  
Kenshin looked back at Kaoru and saw her stumbling after him to drowsy to walk. Kenshin walked over to her and picked her up, and stared walking that way.  
  
Kaoru whispered her thank you to him. She was well wiped out from their travels; they had been traveling all day nonstop save for breakfast and dinner. Some times She and Kenshin had to run because hunters were after him, and looking for her. She didn't know why she didn't stop and yell out to them, and let them take her back home. All she knew is that when she saw them she didn't want Kenshin to get caught, so she kept on with him.  
  
Kenshin looked down at her, he found she was sleeping. So he kept on walking.  
  
But then he heard rustling in the trees around them, and looked around them, he felt a harm full auras coming toward them at a fast speed.  
  
So he started running, he didn't want to put Kaoru in danger. He ran fast, tapping in to his godlike speed. The auras ran faster after him. A voice behind him yelled, "Now!" He looked ahead of him, then, out of nowhere, an unexpected arrow hit him in the left chest.  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoe looked in to her seeing glass and snickered with vengeance.  
  
"M' lady, the plan has been put in to action."  
  
"Good, very good, they shall be dead by morning."  
  
"Yes, M' lady."  
  
'Battousai, you will pay for what you did to my life, to my family. I shall look at you and laugh on your death day.' Tomoe laughed, as she saw her hunters take down the Battousai.  
  
Yuki smirked at her master; she did the right thing by coming to her right away.  
  
~*~  
  
Kaoru had woken up, and was alert, due to landing so rudely on the branch littered, dirt smeared, mossy ground. She looked up from where she was to find out that she was no were near her future little boy, or girl, or her husband...  
  
'Kenshin... Kenshin...' A searing pain came to her chest when she thought about him; she brought her hand up to her chest...  
  
Only to feel blood oozing out of her... Of a wound that was unknown as to how it got there. Kaoru looked around for Kenshin, what she saw devastated her. Kenshin was lying face down in the dirt, an arrowhead sticking out of his back, with a puddle of blood surrounding him, and it was only getting bigger. Kaoru stood up in haste to get to him, only to fall back to the ground on her hands and knees, panting. 'How can this be?' Kaoru saw her own puddle of blood on the ground, the same size as Kenshin's and getting bigger.  
  
But there was no arrow in her chest... 'Can it be that we share wounds as well as minds? But that can't be! I didn't cast that kind of spell!' Kaoru looked up at Kenshin again. 'I have to save him, this is all my fault. If only I hadn't- oh!' Kaoru started crawling to Kenshin, standing was too much to bear. Small puddles of blood dripped from her wound every time she moved her body. Kaoru was just about to touch Kenshin when an arrow hit the ground a mere millimeter from Kaoru's hand. Kaoru gasped and reeled her hand back to her chest, as now she had a small gash at the side of her hand.  
  
Then Kaoru saw the tips of arrows pointing at her face. Kaoru looked up to see seven women in blending huntress outfits. One looked like their leader, dressed in red and black... She seemed intimidating, and not really the nicest person to talk to. But the fact that this huntress had a glowing arrow, and that her eyes were the darkest red, was terrifying... "ïï©ï®ï¤ï ï´ï¨ï¥ï­ï¬ï ï·ï¥ï ï·ï©ï¬ï¬ï ï´ï¡ï«ï¥ï ï´ï¨ï¥ï­ï ï´ï¯ï ï¯âï²ï ï²ï¥ï¡ï¬ï ï­ï¡ï³ï´ï¥ï²." The Huntress commanded, and Kaoru watched helpless as the other six women stalk toward her and a half-dead Battousai......  
  
~*~  
  
A man walked down a god-forsaken path. Not knowing were he was going, but feeling were he was headed to. His tall, muscular build like a wall to a forceful wind, it was. His long black hair blowing in the wind as he walks to an unknown place, but knew that his son would be there. His son, he maybe wounded when he got there, but his son will be there... He knew that he would be, that creepy old witch told him that much.  
  
'Idiot Student. You rush into too many things blindly, if only you would see the things around you, and you would be on guard all the time. This would have never happened.'  
  
The mind bonding, Hiko knew, was inevitable. But it would help his adopted son. It will save him from his madness, and heal him of his pain...  
  
Okay!!!!! That's it for now! ^_____^ I will up date as soon as I can. REALLY I will! Maybe next weekend, but I will up-date, promise!! If you have the time to review, REVIEW! By all means! ^_____^ I will up date as soon as possible!  
  
As for now...  
  
Ja Ne,  
  
Moon Baby.  
  
(I hoped you liked that chapter! ^-^) 


	6. An Endless Disaster

**Disclaimers Apply To All Chapters!!!!!   
  
  
  
HEY PEOPLE!!!! Okay I was very gimped (with a sever sprain to my right foot) which means I could pay more attention to this story and you will be getting more chapters faster... * Scratches head * I think... But I didn't and there you go. Plus, I had a four-day weekend to type this. ^______^ ;; So off that subject. I'd like you guy's to tell me what you think of this story! ^__^:  
**  
**FYI**: So here is a different story, it might be a one shot. I haven't decided yet. Kenshin is not 28 he is 35 and Kaoru is 25 not 18 like she is in the actual story line. AND! It is in normal time and date. ^^; It's not going to be as interesting as Escaping Destiny, but I'm going to take a whack at it. I don't think there is going to be as many bad guy's either, but then again I have not thought of the rest yet. But I do have a plan for the story…   
  
**Whole Summary**: Kenshin is a lawyer and met a girl online nine years ago.... but they didn't meet in a chat room, Kenshin doesn't know her personally, but when a new neighbor moves in he finds that she acts just like his nine year friend... Who is she? Does he know her? Then she gets caught up in this court case he is defending. What does she have to do with his client? Read and find out!   
  
**And so far that's the story line. What did you think of The Court Case?  
  
You people are the best! Thank you so much! (I know I know I say that too much... -__-;;) But really you guys encourage me and I like that I'm entertaining people. AND I'M SOOOO SORRY I DIDN'T GET THIS OUT SOONER. Thanks to you guys putting me on author alert * looks at readers suspiciously * I'm finally getting my butt in to gear. Other then that I'm very happy with were this story is going and I don't think I'm going to change it any time soon.... But I know that I get spelling errors; I try to fix them all, but some how some of them just escape me.   
-____-;; But that's okay since I know that you guy's catch them anyway... ^___^ CurlsOfSerenity! ^___^ now you have another reason to wave your finger at me other then a very late chapter... *hides behind pillow * ^-^;; Chiki! Thank you so much for reviewing my story and giving me advice, it means a lot to me. You are one of my most favorite authors. All of my readers! I love ya guys! Thank you all so much for reviewing and encouraging me! And if you guy's ever read my Bio on my profile, you'll be up-dated weekly on what's keeping me from typing Escaping Destiny… and I'm so sorry I haven't up-dated in a long time… it seems that I can't do every thing at once even if I wanted too. And I hope I give you people another chapter that you like. ^-^ So on with the story.**  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Escaping Destiny  
  
By: Moon Baby  
  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
  
  
  
Candles...  
  
Candles were everywhere in the gigantic room, all were lit. A woman was sitting in the middle of the room, her elegant lavender kimono tucked under her. White plum flowers printed all over it. Her obi was the richest red. Her hair as black as charcoal, her lips a radiant red. Her dark blue aura giving off chilling icicles. In her hands was a small crystal that had a band dropping down from it, as a neck-a-lace would.   
  
The woman closed her eyes while chanting an incantation. A bright flash of brilliant white irrupted from the crystal. The woman stopped chanting and opened her eyes. A screen of a red haired man in agony showed. The woman smiled more.  
  
The woman looked intently in to the crystal, her hands waving around it like a sorceress would. The screen played more of what was the outcome of her orders, a venomous smile on her face. Her coal black eyes filled with merciless glee. Tomoe laughed with cruelty at the scene that played before her. "Finally the Battousai is getting what he so deserves!"  
  
There was a loud knock at her door. Her head swung around to look at the door. Her face in a snarl, "Who disturbs me?" Tomoe stated like a snake.  
  
"Mad' am, your brother is here to see you." A servant said a little nervously.  
  


Tomoe sighed exasperated. "Tell him that I'm busy."  
  
"B-but Mad' am he says it's urgent." The servant stated he was sweating with nervousness. As he looked behind him to see Enishi pointing a sword at his head.  
  
Tomoe sighed again, "Fine, Fine, send him in." She waved her hand and the scene went black. The crystal stopped glowing and dropped back into her hand. She put it around her neck.  
  
Enishi entered the room in a warrior type grace. "Sister, Shishio has set up with his half of the bargain. He says now it's your turn."  
  
Tomoe smiled, "All right."   
  
~*~  
  
The warriors smiled wickedly and walked closer and closer...  
  
Then...  
  
  
They all stopped and sighed with relief.  
  
One knelt down to Kaoru, and looked at her injuries, then looked at Battousai's injuries.  
  
"Interesting." This one said. "Very interesting."  
  
Kaoru looked up, she knew that voice. Her eyes widened as she saw the one person that she wouldn't believe she would see again.  
  
"Megumi? Megumi is that you." The warrior smiled.  
  
"Hello Kaoru." Megumi took off her facemask that only covered her nose and her mouth. She smiled at her long time best friend and rival.   
  
"But how? I thought that you were going to kill us." Kaoru looked down at Kenshin and noticed that his wound was gone. Kaoru's eyes widened further, and looked at her own wound, which was now gone as well.  
  
"The sight of the Tomoe's crystal is off us. We must move now. I'll explain everything later. Come, you must stand. Unfortunately Sir-Ken is still out, so we'll have to carry him. Netishiki would you pick him up please. I trust that you know were to go. We'll meat you there."   
  
"Yes, ma'am." A tall woman stepped forward. Her unique sky blue eyes were the things that Kaoru was only able to see of her face. She picked Kenshin up and sped off.   
  
Megumi looked down at Kaoru. She helped her stand up. Kaoru extended an arm above her head in a grace like manner; glowing bubbles and lights surrounded her in a sphere. They broke and faded away...  
  
In the end Kaoru had a glow to her skin and she could run fast. She had cast a haste spell. After that, they all sped off into the forest...  
  
~*~  
  
Yahiko walked along a dirt path. He walked until there was only trees beyond the eye could see. He stopped. He looked one way then the other on the long path. No one was coming.   
  
Yahiko smiled. 'Good, Good. At least I'll be alone.' Yahiko looked back at the greenery before him. No one knew were he was, but he knew exactly were he is going.  
  
He walked off the path and onto the tall grass. Into the trees he went; he walked for what seemed like hours. It was like walking on memory lane. Here Kaoru, him, and his mom would play. They weren't supposed to, play here, that is. A while ago his father forbade them from coming here.   
  
They didn't know why, he just did. Yahiko walked further down the path, where it steadily got darker and colder. Soon it got to a point where there was no sunlight, but Yahiko kept walking. He knew were he was going.   
  
There was a cave up a head. One only he and Kaoru knew about. He walked into the cave; he walked for five minuets more. He saw a light up ahead and ran toward it.   
  
It was bright so he shielded his eyes from the sunlight.   
  
By the time his eyes got used to the sunlight he was all ready standing by the big oak tree in the middle of the field. Yahiko looked around at the scenery. It was just as beautiful as he remembered it. It was a huge field, with pretty flowers and what gardeners would call weeds. Trees lined the area showing that a forest was several walking steps away.  
  
  
The only tree that gave shade to the field area was the tree he was standing under now. Yahiko lied down under the tree with his arms folded under him. He shut his eyes in hope of metatation and rest. A soft breeze blew by ruffling his cloths and hair.   
  
^*^*^  
(..::Dream::..)  
  
Yahiko was standing in a corner of an unfamiliar room; it was dark, the only lighting the room was three candles on a Japanese table and torches surrounding the perimeter of the chamber...  
  
One person was seated at the table; it was a woman...  
  
She had an air of elegance about her, her strait black hair down; it looked like it could touch the floor from were he was standing. She was wearing a very flexible kimono, it seemed. There was an apron covering it. It looked like she was a doctor ready to tell some bad news to a person...  
He heard a pit-pat on the wooden floors of a hallway; he felt a presence behind him. He turned around...  
  
But it was too late. He shut his eyes and put his arms up as he got ready for the person to run right into him...   
  
ready...   
  
ready...  
  
ready...  
  
He cracked open an eye; the person had stopped... He was face to face with her... His eyes widened. It was Kaoru! God how he missed her! He ran to her. "Oi! Ugly!" Is she deaf? Didn't she hear him? "Oi! Kaoru! Kaoru? KAORU!!!" It seemed like she was looking right threw him.  
  
He walked over to her and slapped her... Or he thought he did, he didn't even contact with her skin. He looked up and his eyes widened, his hand went right threw her! He waved his hand in and out of her a couple of time to see if it was his mind playing games with him... It wasn't...  
  
"WHAT?!" Yahiko was shocked... Kaoru walked forward right threw him into the room behind him. He turned around, and saw her sit across from the doctor lady.  
  
"Megumi?" He heard Kaoru say.  
  
"Kaoru, I figure that you want to know what's going on."   
  
"Yes, Megumi I do..."  
  
"Well then I suggest you be patient for a while because this is going to take sometime..." Megumi stated.  
  
"It all started when we moved. We were traveling through the woods, when bandits attacked us. My father died in the incident. My mother was taken as their pleasure doll; and about a week later she committed suicide. After that, I was sold to a slave dealer. Kenshin just happened to be there when I was being sold off and bought me... But instead of him being like a normal master he allowed me in his home and told me that I was free. He's been a close friend of mine ever since.   
  
I met his master. Hiko, well, Hiko is Hiko I guess, it's hard to describe him... But one things for sure he is an arrogant, ignorant ass. Kenshin and him often discussed every thing behind closed doors... But ever since they found out that I was your friend they had a suspicious interest in me... But I met Sano there..." Megumi, for once in her life looked wistful.  
  
"Sano?" Kaoru asked, with a small smile spreading across her lips.  
  
Megumi smiled. "Sanosuke Sagara has to be the most dumb witted person I have ever met... and he is also the most generous in kind... But any way... Kenshin and Hiko let me in on their plot about the most dreadful woman that is trying to kill the 'Battousai'... " Megumi stated this last sentence in soft tones. "They told me who he is too... It's kind of hard to believe isn't it... That he happens to be the Battousai."  
  
Kaoru raised her chin up a little, and in a mean voice, " I don't think so. He fits the part perfectly."  
  
Megumi smiled at the unclaimed challenge to the Battousai. They obviously go into many warm acts together... Even if it has been 10 days since Kenshin kidnapped her. Megumi knew that Kenshin liked Kaoru other wise his wouldn't have taken her so far with out killing her. And Megumi saw the glow in Kaoru's eye already at talking about him. 'I wish they knew it though...'   
  
Yahiko blinked. Since when was he able to read minds. This must be Kaoru's doing... Showing him that she was all right, through mind. She often did that to comfort him as a child. And now she was doing it again. No one knew about it though... But ever since the first time she calmed him down she and him had a mind connection... It was very little though, the only reason why is because it happened when he was a baby and she had to baby-sit. All though, it really only was because she didn't have she full powers.   
  
Yahiko felt something tugging at him...   
  
'I guess it is time to wake up...' Yahiko thought. Then he heard a voice...  
  
'Yahiko...' A sweet and soft voice whispered in his head.  
  
'Yahiko...' the voice said again. It sounded like a girl's voice.  
  
*(End of dream)*  
  
"Yahiko, you have to wake up. Yahiko..."  
  
"Tsubame?" Yahiko opened his eyes and looked up.  
  
He saw the chocolate eyes of his crush. She smiled, "Did you have a nice nap?" His eyes widened and he looked around. She giggled.   
  
"What time is it?" Yahiko asked in panic.   
  
She giggled again. "It's half past noon. You're fine. Your mother sent me to find you and tell you that you can take the day off. She told me that you had a lot to think about."  
  
Yahiko sighed relived. Tsubame smiled sadly, "Would you like to talk about it?"  
  
Yahiko looked at her in the eyes, to see worry in them and some thing other he couldn't recognize. His eyes softened.  
  
"Sure." He said. She smiled at him. He moved so she could sit down next to him. She sat down with her knees up. She wrapped her arms around them while resting her head on her knees.   
  
"My cousin has been kidnapped, or so we think. That's what everyone thinks, but... But I think that she wasn't kidnapped. I think that she wanted to go, or at least she was willing. Maybe... Maybe she was 'kidnapped' but after a while she was willing. Either way I think she isn't coming back." Yahiko looked pensive, as if he thought about this a whole lot. He looked at Tsubame to get her opinion.  
  
"What do you think, Tsubame?" Tsubame just looked at him with support.   
  
"I don't know what to think, Yahiko. I didn't know your cousin that well, but she was always nice to me. I bet you know her better than anyone. If you think that she wasn't kidnapped, then she probably wasn't kidnapped."  
  
"You don't think I'm crazy, then?" Yahiko asked with concern.  
  
Tsubame laughed, "Of course I don't, Yahiko-chan."  
  
Yahiko glared, "Don't call me chan!"  
  
Tsubame kept laughing, "Oh, I'm sorry."  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoe walked down a muddy path to a dead Battousai. 'This is perfect, now all I have to do is cut off his head, hang it on my wall, drain the girl's power's for Shishio, and my end of the bargain will be finished.'   
  
To Tomoe everything was going to plan, or so she thought.  
  
There was a minor problem to her plan...  
  
Tomoe walked closer and closer to the place were she knew Battousai and the Jasmine Blossom were.  
  
But when she got there... There was no sign of Battousai or the Jasmine blossom.   
  
'What?' Tomoe looked around, she looked everywhere, but there just wasn't any clue as to where they had gone. She was shocked of course, but then the shock turned to burning hatred. 'Someone has betrayed me, and turned my warriors against me.' Tomoe glared at the ground and everywhere else her eyes landed on.   
  
She glared at the flowers, the grass, and the trees...  
  
But there!   
  
What is that?...  
  
Tomoe walked closer to a willow tree. Where there was a glinting thread on this tree; she could have easily missed it, her and her anger. Tomoe smiled, this was good. As she walked closer she noticed that it was much more then a thread, it was a hair, two of them. Her smile widened if she had fangs they would be barred. Her cold eyes twinkled with evil happiness.   
  
She examined the hairs, they were not the beauty's or the beast's, but someone else's. They belonged to a person that was dear to the Jasmine Blossom. Someone very dear, indeed...  
  
She picked up the hairs, and walked back down the path from which she came. Tomoe was pleased with her self, not as pleased as she could have been, but pleased all the same...  
  
She was going to reek havoc on this person who saved the Jasmine Blossom and Battousai. They were going to pay for taking away her revenge...  
  
~*~  
  
They had gotten to the base an hour ago...  
  
Kaoru walked into Kenshin's room, and walked over to him. She sat in a wooden chair that was at the side of his bed. She looked down at her hands to see she was fiddling with the sleeves of her brand new dress Kenshin had got for her.  
  
She sighed. Once again, she was saved by him. Megumi had explained everything to her. It was all imaginary, an illusion. 'I'm so stupid! I can't believe I forgot that Megumi could control time, minds, and medicine. She made every one think that we were under control of Tomoe, who ever that is. Then she stopped time so we could escape with out a trace. Well, with out Tomoe noticing.'   
  
Megumi was very useful as a doctor, and as an enchantress.   
  
Kaoru heard a rustle of cloths on a bed; She stopped her musings, and she immediately looked up...  
  
To see Kenshin's lavender eyes staring strait at her. They were so close; their noses could touch if either one of them breathed in too deep. A blush spread across Kaoru's nose and cheeks. To Kenshin, she looked beautiful while blushing.   
  
Kenshin leaned in more; he started to lift his hand to her cheek, to see if it really was as soft as it seemed. He stared deeply in to her blue eyes. Kaoru looked at his hand, as it was a mere millimeter away. She started to speak but nothing came out. Kenshin smiled, and she stopped her jarring and smiled back.   
  
'You have beautiful eyes.' He thought to her.  
  
Kaoru smiled more. Then she was confused. As she looked at his eyes.   
  
"What?" He asked her.  
  
"Your eyes are lavender. I thought they were golden." She smiled, missing the fact that his eyes widened a little. "Either way, I love each shade." She said with out thinking. Kenshin's eyes softened, but they widened a sliver more.   
  
Kaoru thought he looked hansom with a true smile, and immediately was determined to make him smile like this more often. He snickered at her thought.  
  
She looked at him confused... But then her eyes widened, and she blushed. Kenshin snickered and leaned in more, they were a mere centimeter away. Kaoru's eyes darkened and closed half way. Kenshin didn't think twice then...  
  
  
THUD!   
  
They heard, "OUCH! That HURT!"   
  
They look simultaneously across the room to see Megumi sprawled out at the door. Medical supplies everywhere. She looked up from her face-plant and laughed a little embarrassed.   
  
"I'm sorry to disturb you from what you were doing." Megumi smiled a knowing smile, and Kaoru blushed a bright red. "But I have to dress his Majesty's wound again." Kaoru's eye's widened. And she snapped her head to Kenshin.  
  
"Majesty?" She said her chin dipping down and her right eyebrow raising.  
  
Kenshin rubbed the back of his neck and laughed a hesitant laugh.   
  
"You're kidding me!" Kaoru blasted out. Standing up while pushing back her chair faster then a horse. "You are... are..." She laughed hysterically, and started pacing before him back and forth. "A King! And you didn't tell me!" She looked at him and glared.   
  
"Well..." Kenshin started.  
  
"AND you! You didn't tell me either and you knew!" Kaoru rounded on Megumi who was dusting herself off. Megumi smiled at Kaoru and then smiled at Kenshin. "I believe this is in your court your Majesty." She curtsied and walked out the door. Kaoru just stared blankly at the door for what seemed like an eternity. Kenshin cleared his throat. Kaoru turned to look at him.   
  
"I-ah-" Kenshin started feeling and knowing her anger…  
  
But the thing was…. It wasn't being pointed at him. She was angry with herself. He looked at her closely. He didn't hear any of her thought's because she wasn't thinking anything, but he sure felt her inner  
turmoil and he sure felt her beating herself up…   
  
"Kaoru." Kenshin said. But she didn't answer, and he felt her beating herself up more. 'Kaoru' He said in her mind. She turned to him once more. Her hair swishing with her movements, her dress ruffled along too. Her cloak elsewhere in the room. Her milky white skin glinting more in the candlelight. Mesmerized he walked toward her, but she backed away. He stopped, breaking out of his reverie.   
  
'Kaoru.' He said softly in her mind. 'You didn't do anything. I didn't tell you, and I never thought to tell anyone that. It's not just you. No one really knows about that except my family, and a few close friends.'  
  
He took a step and she didn't move, then he took another and another. Gaining courage, he walked to her. He was barely two feet away.  
  
'It's not your fault. It's not like your going to ask out of the blue and say, "Hey are you a King." No one does that, at least no one I know.' He walked closer to her and she didn't move. He smiled and touched her cheek, smiling when she unconsciously leaned into it.  
  
'I know.' If she thought that any softer he wouldn't have been able to catch the thought.  
  
'Then why are you angry at your self?' He looked at her with concern.  
  
"Because, I... um...I don't know. I guess because I forgot for a moment that I was kidnapped by you, and you are my enemy." She looked up at him, he knew that there was a hidden question or feeling in that statement. Maybe it was a challenge. But what she said unnerved him, she was right, that, she was abducted by him, and they were enemies. She was the next queen to the thrown of the Kamiya's, and he is the king of the Seijuro's. There was not supposed to be anything between them...ever.  
  
~*~  
  
"From South to North,  
From West to east,  
Curse this pest,  
Let wrath she taste,  
Let her be in her deathbed in two days best."  
  
Tomoe dropped the strands of hair in the potion after saying the spell. She smiled. "I hope you die," she said with venom. "And take Battousai and Jasmine Blossom with you."  
  
  
~*~  
  
In the far distance, a cry of shear agony was heard. The yellings of people close to her, panicked. For she, and only she, was the sole doctor for miles around...  
  
  
  
  
**OKAY! That's it! ^__^;; Don't be mad, it's only a cliffhanger! ^O^ and that's all I can think of. So you're stuck until the next chapter. Well, for all the holiday's I missed typeing for you people:  
  
Merry Christmas and  
Happy Hanakah, (O_O sp!)   
  
And HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! I hope you are spending today with the ones you care about. ^__^  
  
Ja Ne for now,  
  
Moon Baby.******


	7. Finding Sanosuke

**_Standard Disclaimers Apply to All Chapters!  
_****  
Hey all! I know, I know, I didn't up-date on time, check that... I haven't up-dated in a looooong time, almost a year I think… GAH! Where dose the time go! But you know… It's gets hard with school stuff; now that I just figured that out… --; But Hey! I did write another chapter and here it is! Yeah… and for the other chapters I fixed a couple of them. They should be better now. ) Spelling wise… ; Any way… Did you guys like the summary for my next story. I don't know if I want to do that story yet, but if I do I already got the first chapter typed… But I don't know, maybe I'll post it after I'm done with E.D. (Escaping Destiny) but again I don't know if I should… sighs but I think that is up to you! . If you liked the summary for The Court Case, and want me to post it then say so. AND by all means R+R! Helps me a ton people. But, you know, if you don't want to then that's okay. Please read the a/n at the bottom of the chapter. **

Thank you sooooooo much people for reviewing! . And people with author alert… I'm getting better… don't hurt me… cowers tee he…. So, on with the story… )

Escaping Destiny

By Moon Baby

(Warning: This chapter might be rated 'R' for graphics, violence, and a few other scenes…)

Chapter 7

Black…

That's all she saw.

It was happening again. Kaoru looked around her and only saw the black abyss for what it was. A premonition...

Kaoru looked to her left... nothing...

Nothing was there...

She looked to her right. A light blue square appeared. She touched the box of light, and ripples appeared and vanished around her hand...

'That's weird' Kaoru thought to her self.

It did, in fact, feel liquidy, but when she pulled her hand back it did not have drops of water on her palm or fingers.

'No water?' Kaoru questioned. She put her hand through again and floated in the portal to her premonition...

Kenshin was having a hard time sleeping. It was about the middle of the night, and he was starting to see things. It was unheard of. The Battousai? Seeing things?

'Maybe I should have Megumi see if I'm okay...' Then Kenshin thought of how the first time they met and she 'fell' for him... 'Maybe not...'He shuddered. 'And People say—I'm—creepy...'

Then. . .

Kenshin saw a flash in his minds eye. He saw the remnants of a battlefield... or was it? He saw the flash again. A woman was standing in the middle of a burnt down village.

'A massacre?' He looked closer. The woman had soft looking black hair and sapphire blue eyes, her skin the whitest of porcelains. 'Kaoru?' He closed his eyes and he saw it better...

Kaoru could smell burnt flesh. She could feel the heat of the flames that were licking at her fingertips. She could hear the screams of the pray, and the laughter of the predators.

As Kaoru opened her eyes, what she saw disgusted, pained, and angered her beyond all comprehension...

She was standing in the middle of a burning down village. The faction of dead people around her was terrifying and more, still, were dying, or burning. Again in her lifetime Kaoru felt the mixture of sorrow and anger. She took a step and another. She felt something tugging at her... What was it?

A building next to her collapsed from a raging fire. The screams of people inside that building made Kaoru flinch. Tears stung at her eyes from the fire, the smoke made her cough in hysterics, and the cries made her heart throb with pain. Kaoru slid to her knees. Bent over and cried. Cried for the dead, and the dying. Cried for the people who lost their loved ones and the little ones who would not make it to their tenth birthday.

Why?  
.  
.  
.  
'Why?'  
.  
.  
.  
'WHY!'

'Why is this happening? Why can't I help them? Why...' Tears slid down Kaoru's cheek. She hated it. She hated all of it, the premonitions and the feeling of helplessness...

"MAMA!" Kaoru heard a scream in the distance, and she looked up just as fast as she heard it. "PAPA!" She got up and ran in the direction she heard the voice...

Kenshin looked at his dream as it killed and diseased the people he once knew, and cared for. He looked at his dead mother and father. Out of all of his dreams, he hated this memory the most. He died that day...

Kenshin opened his eyes. Kenshin saw the room that he owned for two more days, and heard Kaoru cry out in the room next to his. He felt her sufferings, her sorrow, and heard her thoughts...

"Why?  
.  
.  
.  
'Why?'  
.  
.  
.  
'WHY!'

'Why is this happening? Why can't I help them? Why..." 'So... She is having the dream... and not me?' Kenshin shook his head. That can't be possible... He heard her sobs, and movement in the next room... He got up from his sitting position, he, then, walked to, and out, the door. He walked in his jasmine blossom's room...

He saw her sweating form, saw her tears as she cried for his past. He walked closer to her. Her beautiful face was scrunched up in a sorrowful scowl. Tears streamed down her face. Her flawless body tangled in the covers as her legs tried to escape their cage.

He sat down beside her futon, touched her face, and closed his eyes.

He too heard the small sounding voice... but it was much closer to him...

"PAPA!" The sob of the child wrenched at his heart, but he knew he couldn't do anything to help... For, he could not touch the things around him...this was Kaoru's dream, not his...

Kaoru ran. Something was pulling her forward in the back of her mind, but she didn't pay attention to it. The wild flames cackling in her ear as it licked at her legs. The heat whistling in her face. She stopped as she saw a four way... 'Which way do I go...?' Kaoru thought helplessly, she wanted so desperately to save the child and she didn't know which way to go. This had to be a town out side of Kyoto... There were too many twists and turns in the village. A wail was heard in the distance.

Kaoru looked frantically around her...

Which way...?

Which way...?

A new set of tears threatened at her eyelids. "Which way do I go...?" Kaoru asked no one while hoping some one would hear...

'Open your senses...' a deep mahogany voice stated.

"What?" Kaoru said as she looked around her. 'Someone did hear!' Kaoru looked all around her for the body of the voice, but there were only dead skeletons of what people once were.

"What? Who?" Kaoru knew she was magical, but this never happened to her before...ever.

'Calm down and open your senses... you will get to him faster...' It was a comforting voice, and presence. Familiar at that. 'Do not concern your self on who I am, look for the boy...'

Kaoru closed her eyes... Taking a deep breath, she stretched her golden aura out around her... She felt death pillaging on the helpless souls and then eating them ruthlessly. She felt the blood red aura of the comforting presence... She smiled, but Kaoru needed to concentrate. She stretched her aura further; she could feel the trembling light red aura of the child. Kaoru smiled a sad smile, this child suffered too much already.

Kaoru took off, running as fast and hard as she could allowing her senses to show her the way...

She ran into the woods on the outside of the village, running faster into it deeper..

Deeper...

And deeper still, the tugging from before pulling harsher.

When her senses told her that she was standing almost next to the poor baby, she opened her watery blue eyes. It was dark. She was standing in the middle of the forest; the covering canopies above made it seem almost midnight.

Whimpering was heard to the far right. Kaoru looked that way to see a small patch of flame red hair, small hands and legs, and a trembling body. The poor child's cloths were burnt, ripped, and shredded. His small Gi was a little too small, the sleeves hanging on by a thread. Kaoru's breath caught in her throat.

"Kenshin...?" The little boy tensed but shivered more... 'No... Shinta...' the mahogany, comforting voice said in her mind.

"Shinta?" The little boy started crying silently.

"Pwease don' hwur' me... pwease..." Little Kenshin said in a small voice.

'Oh... That's horrible... Who would ever want to do such a thing?' Kaoru thought, a silent tear going down her face just watching Kenshin's past.

'Many people...' the mahogany voice whispered again.

'But why... Kenshin?' She asked him. It was hard to believe who would want to do this to a once happy village like this one...

Kenshin sighed, so she figured it out... He threaded his fingers through her damp black hair.

'To claim territory on land which is not theirs, and doing it in the easiest, and worst possible way.' He looked down at the sleeping from of Kaoru, why is she getting this dream?

'I guess I can take that as an answer...' Kaoru thought to Kenshin. Kaoru walked over to Shinta and he cowered more... Kaoru quietly knelt before him, and touched his shoulder gently,

"No ones going to hurt you..." Kaoru said in a gentle motherly voice. The boy squeezed him self into a tighter ball.  
Kaoru sighed gently. She wrapped her arms around the little boy, who screeched in return, wriggling in any way possible to get out of Kaoru's grasp. Kaoru held tighter, holding Shinta's upper back to her, and keeping her arm under his backside, while that hand rested on his lower back.  
"No!" Shinta yelled, pushing away from her. Kaoru sighed, holding firmer on to his little body.  
"Shh... It's okay; no one's going to hurt you... Shh..." Kaoru knew well that for this little one it wasn't going to be all right for years to come. As she said claming words to Shinta, he started to give in. When he finally did Kaoru rested her head upon his, and she gently bobbed up and down while dancing gently to an imaginary song. Little Kenshin cried his heart out, making the front of Kaoru's silk robe wet, and her under lacy pajama dress. She smiled at his red hair that she knew and loved.

'Loved? Do I really?' Kaoru shook her head, now wasn't the time to think about that...  
Kaoru started humming to her dance, and Shinta looked up at her with huge pools of lilac. He grabbed her ebony hair..

"Purrty." He said as he treaded his fingers through its silkiness. Then...

Nothing...

Everything went black...

Kenshin looked at Kaoru with eyes that no one would ever see. He heard and saw everything she did, and thought. He sighed, but smiled,

'She's about as confused with her emotions as I am.'  
He looked down at her now peaceful, enchanting face. Tearstains were still there, but the snarl was gone. Most of her silky ebony hair had escaped its braid and framed her fragile features. The moon shone through a window making her hair shine a blue in color, while making her even more ethereal. Kenshin had the urge to kiss her, but his conscience said no. So he settled on combing her hair with his fingers.  
After awhile Kenshin knew he had to leave before she woke, but he didn't move. Not one limb. Using all of his self-control he started to get up... Kaoru's eyes fluttered open and sapphire clashed with lavender/gold. Kaoru grabbed his hand as she saw that he was about to leave.

'If she says 'please stay' I won't be able to turn her down.' Kenshin immediately thought. A smile played across Kaoru's beautiful face. 'Some self control you have.' Kenshin's sub-conscience thought back. A bigger smile played across her face.

'I totally agree.' She thought into Kenshin's mind.  
Kenshin looked at her in the eye to see mirth there... after a slow seconds thought...  
'Shit!' Kenshin thought. Kaoru snorted and burst out in laughter. Kaoru stopped after a couple of minutes, but a giggle here and there tipped off Kenshin as to what question was coming next. Kaoru looked at Kenshin she smiled again, she brushed her free hand against his scarred cheek,

"Please stay." She said that in more of a question then statement.  
"I shouldn't." He said back to her, inching closer to her face. Kaoru looked up at him. 'I know.' He looked at her questionably, 'Then why?' His face was dangerously close to hers and getting closer.  
"I don't know..." Kenshin smiled, but it was more of a smirk. Kaoru rolled her eyes, "

"Okay, Okay. I want to talk to you." Kenshin looked at her for the first question. Kenshin's nose was barely a millimeter away from hers.  
"Was that really...? Really..? um...?" Kaoru scrunched her face a little looking for the words to say, her eye's wandering past him. 'my past?' Kenshin thought to her helpfully. She looked back at him, their lips brushed. Kaoru's eye's widened while she took an intake of breath. Kenshin's eyes turned almost completely lavender while he tried to control his body. Kaoru tuned bright red and turned away from him but she nodded to the question. For that's all she could think to do.

'Yes. Some of it.' Came Kenshin's mahogany voice in her thoughts. Kaoru's eyes widened, as she looked up at his face instead of his chest, blushing more.

"I'm sorry... I--I shouldn't have..." Kaoru stuttered. Kenshin's eyes were turning back to gold now, and somehow Kaoru wished she could see the lavender again.  
She touched his cheek.

'What's wrong?' He turned his hard gaze toward her, and stared into her sapphire eyes. 'What do you think is wrong...?' He questioned her as softly as possible. Kaoru looked into his eyes, digging into his well-guarded emotions. Her thumb massaging his scar.

"I don't know..." Kenshin sighed. He grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his face. 'You are too young.' He thought.  
Kaoru looked at him confused.

'Too young for what?' She asked him. 'For me.' He thought to her. Kaoru looked even more confused, then it came to her... Her eyes widened the slightest, and she blushed a deep red. She searched his stone hard face for any emotion at all, and she found two... Passion, and attraction...  
Kenshin grabbed her hand firmer, and pulled her to him. In one swift movement he had her in his arms, and on his lap. If it was possible her eyes widened further. She looked up at the Battousai, as his face got closer to hers and closer. His lips, again, brushed against hers in a harmless kiss. Kaoru gasped into his mouth, for, she never knew such gentleness and sweetness. When Kaoru gasped Kenshin deepened the kiss, while getting his fingers caught in her hair. His other hand wandered to the front of her silk robe, as he was about to rid her of it... a piercing scream was sounded from Megumi's room...  
Kaoru froze, Kenshin tensed, and they both stopped and broke apart. Kaoru was the first to come to her senses, jumping up from her intimate position, fixing her robe, and running out the door. Kenshin not far behind her. The scream came again, waking up most of the base.

Sanosuke Sagara walked down an alley of Yokohama. He was formally known as Zanza the fighter for higher of the Under World. Next to the Battousai, He has the best hit man known to the Japanese revolution. That was, until he was sent to kill the Battousai, also known as Kenshin Himura-the next crowned King of the rebels of the Shogun revolution. Sanosuke was supposed to kill him at his crowning ceremony. But... He saw the most beautiful person in his lifetime sitting by a waterfall inside the castle gates... Megumi.  
It was then, when he thought that Megumi was the Battousai's next wife to be. But as Sano talked to Megumi. In various ways he found out that she was just saved by him and was only there because she had no place to go. Since then Sano has been part of the rebels. Taking on missions and then coming back to his lovely Megumi. After a year of doing this he finally found the courage to ask her to be his wife. And she had accepted. (After awhile of making him wait in torture.)  
Now he was on another mission. Standing and waiting for the one he is supposed to kill. Jin'eh Udo was the man's name. This time Sano had to be extra careful, this guy was as hard to track down as a needle in a haystack. And Udo's fighting style is just as bad. Zanza, the fight for higher, waited in apprehension with his Zanbatou lying next to him...

Megumi screamed out in pain. The Jasmine blossom holding her arms down; the Battousai holding her feet. Tears were forming in Kaoru's eyes, why is this happening to her? Poor Megumi... Then Kaoru remembered something that would be of great importance for right at this moment. If this was indeed what she thought it was, then she had a way to reverse it.  
"Kenshin? Is there a certain someone that cares for her deeply?" Kaoru asked, hopeful that there was, because then Kaoru could help her long known friend of childhood.  
Kenshin looked up to Kaoru, "Yes there is. Sano her fiancée. But he is in Yokohama, that's almost a day, and nights travel away from here." Kenshin stated.  
'Good then there is no problem...' Kaoru thought.  
"Why did you ask? And what problem?" The Battousai asked, his eyes narrowing.  
"There is a curse on Megumi. I can chant the counter curse, but there has to be someone she loves deeply to give her life energy." Kaoru stated. Another blood curling scream sounding from Megumi.  
"But that is a problem isn't it? Sano is a day and nights walk from here..." Kenshin looked at her wondering if she was indeed that dense.  
"No, not at all." Kaoru stated with confidence. "Once I cast the spell Megumi has a week until she absolutely needs the life energy. In that time span I can teleport over to Yokohama and get Sano. You have to stay here and see if she gets any worse..."

"What do you mean 'get any worse'?" Kenshin questioned in a warning tone. His eyes looking down at Megumi, his soon to be sister-in-law.  
Kaoru looked at Kenshin seriously and stated,

"If the counter curse does not agree with Megumi, the out come will be her death. That's why we need to keep a very close eye on her. Since you have a very sharp eye you will be able to tell what will be happening, I need you to stay here and watch her." Megumi let out another piercing scream. Kaoru was biting her lip as she normally did in very stressful situations.  
Kenshin's eye wandered to that lip. He didn't think anything of it. Just looked back at her and curtly nodded his head to her previous statement. Kaoru looked at Megumi,

"Battousai, I need you to help me get me a few plants. I need to make a powder for her..."  
Kenshin didn't miss the change of name. This was Kaoru's way of distancing herself from him. Her way to cope. "What plants do I need to get..."

Sano looked up at the sky, the blood red sky. Not a good sign, some thing bad will happen tonight...

He looked out of the ally were he stood. It was two o'clock in the morning. The city looked dead, and no one was out. Not even rats. Clip... Sano looked up. Clip... He looked toward where the sound was coming from. Clip...  
Finally Udo was present. Clip... His footsteps coming in short slow strides. Clip... Sanosuke's adrenaline was rising to its peak. Clip... Clip...  
"So I see Seijiro has sent another one of his assassins after me. I hope you will be better than the last." A cold, malevolent voice rang out. "At least you will last a little more than the other did. He only lasted for ten minutes. I see you will last for about fifteen." An evil cackle rang out in the crisp air...

Kaoru looked around the forest. Sighing she thought,

'The forest, I'm in the forest again.' Kaoru shivered. Kenshin looked her way, 'Is it really that bad?' He asked. Kaoru looked his way with her eyes that were the portal to her sole. She bypassed his question with an order of her own.  
"I need to find these herbs: Rose hips, Echinacea, Willow bark, St. John's Wort, and Hibiscus Flowers. There needs to be enough to surround Megumi's whole body... But there needs to be just enough..." Kaoru stated. She had a worried look on her face. Her lip was going through hell right now.  
Kenshin nodded his head...

It took them about two hours to find all of the herbs... And Kaoru told him that the spell would kill Megumi in two days if she doesn't cast the counter spell. So they had to find the herbs, and fast. It was taking longer then expected and Kaoru has been worrying more then usual. Kaoru smiled as she thought

'Ah HA! I found it! St. Johns Wort... tons of it.' Kenshin nearly sighed in relief; now that they found the last plant they could go back and make the powder.  
Kenshin walked back to Kaoru.

"Now all you have to do is make it right?" He asked in his baritone voice, which had a tint of menace. It was getting hard for him to keep his emotions in check again, and for him keeping his emotions in check is by being mean to others, or being a stone statue.  
They were in the middle of the woods looking for plants that to him didn't do shit and he didn't know how to use them. But he would do anything to save his half-brothers fiancé. It didn't sit well with him if he got on Sano's bad side... Sano would be a nervous break down right now if he knew what was happening to Megumi-dono.

Sagara and Udo sized each other up; Sano had to admit, it was going to be harder than he first thought. 'Man, Megumi is going to kill me if I get hurt…' Sano thought a bead of sweat dripping down the back of his neck.

Currently Udo stood in front of him; dressed in what any one would call a 'too tight for comfort' body suit, and what looked like a brown bag looking cloth over it… This man obviously had no fashion sense what so ever…

No wonder he was the back up assassin. That and the fact that he is _insane,_ but you know other than that he could pass off as a homeless person.

Slowly they started circling around each other. Trying to find a weakness, or a dent in either's defense… Udo charged first; in a rally that took a toll on Sagara, he slashed, backing Sanosuke up against the brick wall of an abandoned store. Udo's eyes locked on Sagara's, they widened, and a burst of sole power paralyzed Sanosuke to the spot keeping him there.

'_What the hell…'_ Sano thought… But it was too late, Udo was madly hacking and slashing at Sano's arms and legs, taking the advantage of the fight…

Kaoru and Kenshin finally got back to the base. It took little more than five minutes but it felt like an eternity. Setting down Kaoru, who had demanded to be put down for the last five minutes, Kenshin walked in side of the base. It took a second of recognition on Kaoru's part that they were all ready at the base and Kenshin had put her down…

'Oh for goodness sakes!' Kaoru thought. Kenshin ignored her, and Kaoru followed after him. He was headed for Megumi's room, she knew, and followed him to it. It was silence all the way there, tinted with tenseness, and apprehension.

When they walked into Megumi's room, the candles flickered, the wind from the window seemingly seeping into the room. One of Megumi's guard looked up from their position, there were six people in the room at once, and all were watching over Megumi. On Kaoru's demand.

The one named Heike walked over to Kenshin, and whispering could be heard. Kaoru knew that she was only updating Kenshin on what was going on with Megumi, but that didn't stop her from being jealous… Kenshin looked her way feeling her emotion, and smirked.

'Jealousy is the green-eyed monster.' Kenshin smugly stated in her mind.

'Oh? And who said I was jealous of you?' Kaoru shot back, Kenshin narrowed his golden eyes at her.

'We've more important things to think about, anyway, at the moment.' Kaoru stated curving the conversation away from that topic.

The Jasmine Blossom looked toward the only Doctor for miles around. 'Ironic really,' Kaoru thought, 'the doctor gets to be healed, in stead of the people that her takes care of.'

"Kenshin, take this bag of herbs, Heike… I need you to find some incense for me please. Two of them." Kaoru turned serious eyes to her cursed friend. Kenshin moving toward Kaoru grabbing the bag of herbs that they had collected. Heike was gone and back within minutes, and Kaoru gave out new directions to follow.

"Heike, please put the one incense near Megumi's head, and one near her feet. Light them please…" The warrior did as asked. Then backed away, sensing that she wasn't needed any more. The smoke from the wooded scented incense rising into the air and slightly stirring with the wind and candles. "Kenshin, when I am casting the spell sprinkle the herbs out around Megumi in an oval. It doesn't have to be perfect, just make sure none get into the incense." Kenshin nodded. Grabbing the bag of mixed up herbs off the floor; he untied the top, then he waited for Kaoru signal.

'I'm starting now. After the first word start putting out the herbs.' Kaoru stated in his mind. And he nodded.

"_Spirits of the Earth!"_

Kenshin was already spreading out the herbs…

"_Come heal this body of its curse."_ Kaoru was whispering the words, but it was taking effect… The wind picked up, and the smoke of the incense was stirring toward Megumi and were Kenshin put down herbs the smoke went into them..

_"Come take away its pain and physical suffering._

_Let her live to her life's fulfillment…_

_And Cast away this disease, this bane." _Kenshin was done with spreading out the herbs and Kaoru was done casting the spell… 'Back away slowly Kenshin…'Kaoru warned in his mind, and he did as asked.

A burst of light came forth from the smoke and herbs, the oval around Megumi lifted off the ground and started circling above her. Tighter and tighter the oval got until the light got so bright. The wind rushed in from the window and the leaves, smoke, and light went into Megumi's mouth. Kenshin wanted to jump forward, but straggly enough he trusted Kaoru…

Then Megumi started glowing… A blue hue to her grew until it could glow no more, then pulsed.

Kaoru looked to him as he watched interested and on guard of his soon to be sister-in-law. 'Kenshin, I need to go and get Sanosuke. Watch her, don't let _anything _escape your eye.' Kenshin looked at her, nodded , he then walked over to Megumi and sat next to her… And Kaoru teleported out of the room, with one mission and one mission only. To find Sanosuke Sagara…

Sano was having trouble fighting back, let alone breathing. His blood was poring out on the pavement, drop, drop, drop. Udo finally stopped his onslaught on him and was joyfully watching Sanosuke fight to stand. Udo had released him from the power he had cast on Sano, and with horrifying fascination applauded Sano for staying alive this long.

Udo cackled evilly,

"I hope Hiko would more challenges to me. I love seeing them wither in pain, their wide eyes telling their fear. I love it!"

"You're sick!" Sano yelled. "You are a sick bastard!"

"Tut, tut… it's not nice to piss off your opponent when you are down for the count… I guess it is time to get rid of you.. You were a fun play toy, but sadly it's time to die."

"Eat shit and die, Udo." The insane assassin raised his sword, as he took his swing a girl popped out of no were right in front of Sanosuke Sagara, ruining his attack.

"You are Sano, correct?" The girl asked in an angelic voice. Sano looked up at her.

"Wha?" He stated just as confused as Udo.

"Are you or are you not Sanosuke Sagara?" She asked again.

"I am." He said back befuddled to no end.

"Good." she stated. She looked to Udo behind her and smiled a sweet, but menacing smile. "I know you would want to kill him, but unfortunately for you I have to take this man off your hands." She looked at Sano touched a finger to his forehead, looked back over her shoulder, and disappeared…

The wind passed by were the two people used to be, blowing at Udo's cloths. He sheathed his sword, and rubbed his eyes, "I think I am going crazy, no one can disappear like that…" He turned around and walked back the way he came… Down the cold dark alley were he knew his employer was.

Udo looked to Shishio. "Did you kill him?" Shishio asked. Yumi right behind him rubbing his back. Kamatari glaring daggers at Yumi.

"No, a girl appeared out of no were and then disappeared with Sanosuke Sagara… Is that possible?" Udo questioned.

Shishio looked at him, eyes narrowed, "What did the girl look like?" He asked knowing what the assassin would say.

"She had long black hair in a ponytail, sapphire eyes, and was wearing an eastern style dress and cloak." Udo stated. Shishio looked at him with an all knowing smile and nodded, then faded into the darkness a cackle on his lips…

'So Himura… You are still alive with the Kamiya Princess…'

It took two hours to find Sano, and Kaoru had found him battered and bloody, plus the added bonus of him nearly losing a fight… wonderful…

They were now at the base, and Sano looked ready to puke… not a good sign to accommodate to… He needed to be healthy to help in the spell to heal Megumi. He also looked peeved, but you couldn't blame him. It is not every day a girl appears out of no were and saves your life. '_You could a least explain it to him on the way over to Megumi's room._' Kaoru thought to her self. '_I think you should too.' Kenshin put in. 'He needs to prepare him self for seeing Megumi like this… She stopped screaming out in pain by the way, but she's barely breathing… is that a bad sign?_' Kenshin questioned in her head. He sounded a bit peeved too. Though, you couldn't blame him either, you would be peeved too if you didn't know what was going on.

'_It will be good for now; just hold on until I get there... Oh! By the way, I just saved Sanosuke from getting killed. What did you send him on? A suicide mission?' _Kaoru looked ready to break out a bokken and wack someone with it.

'_If you have a problem talk to my master. Fight now I'm not at the castle, so, I'm not really making the orders.' _Kenshin stated in her mind. He knew she was a little bit aggravated…  
Kenshin snorted. '_more like a steam engine ready to blow.'_ Kenshin gave his lips a twitch up. '_What was that?'_ Kaoru almost yelled out loud. She was seething now…not good. Kenshin nearly laughed. '_Calm down, Kaoru, I have no idea what I'm doing and need you to be calm. You have to tell Sano what is going on.' _Kenshin thought to her calmly.

Kaoru sighed, "Okay."  
Sano looked at her confused, "What?" Looking him over, she sighed. '_I might as well heal him too. He is in the worst shape possible.'_

And he was. His shirt was a bloody mess and his pants were not much better off. His face was cut in several places, and, looks can be diseaving, but, they looked pretty deep too. But this….

This isn't even mentioning his hand. It looked like no doctor could fix it. Well, no doctor, if Megumi doesn't get healed soon.

"What?" Sano asked again. She said okay, out of no where, almost as if she was answering someone. '_Huh?'_ Sano thought. Kaoru looked up at him with her big blue eyes.

"Your injuries need to be healed. I need to tell you an important thing, but before I tell you, you have to promise me that you will not go running off to find her. You will have better luck finding her with me. Deal?" Kaoru asked and answered him. Sano was so confused, his head was pounding and his hand hurt like hell.

"Deal?" Sano repeated. This person, who ever this person is, was talking to him like she knew him, when he didn't know her at all.

"Who, Who are you?" Sano asked. Kaoru looked up from his injuries.

"What?" Kaoru looked confused, then the light clicked. "Oh! I guess we never did greet properly. Konnichiwa, my name is Kaoru. If you must know, I know you through Kenshin. Stand by me more so I can heal you."

He just stood there looking at her like she didn't fit quite right with her head.

"You're not a doctor. So how are you going to heal me? And how do you know Kenshin?" Sano glared at her when she walked over to him and poked him rather hard in a sore spot on the ribs. '_Damn it! That hurt!'_ Sano thought, though he only winced on the out side.  
"Idiotic…" Kaoru sighed. "Some advise for the unwise. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." She put up her hands, palm to chest, ignoring his non-trusting, and confused look, she chanted:

"_Earth to Earth,  
Star to Star,  
Human to Human,  
Blood to Scab,  
Heal his wounds."_

Golden warmth shined from Kaoru's fingers, moving out of her hand in to Sano's body slowly spreading throughout him. Healing his chest first, to his face and legs, to his hands, but his left hand didn't heal fully… much to Kaoru's displeasure and knowledge. After every thing was through, Sano looked a lot better, but he would still have to get new cloths. Bloodstains and rips were still on it from where he got cut.

"You really did a number on your hand, didn't you?" Kaoru said, more to herself than to Sanosuke. Sano looked at her expectantly, disregarding her question with one of his own.

"So, What is this nonsense thing you need to tell me?"

Kaoru looked up at him with soulful eyes that had a rare wisdom someone so young would have. "Megumi is in dire need of help." She put up hand to stop him from shouting out in panic, which suddenly came to his eyes. "A curse was cast upon her not too long ago. I have already cast the counter curse; all we need now is for her love to bestow her with life energy from his kiss. Which is why you are here, but…" Kaoru looked at him in the eye and waited, a little afraid to go on.

It seemed like she wouldn't continue, the long pause made Sano nervous, really nervous. "But?" Sano almost hysterically yelled, trying to get her to continue.

"But," Kaoru repeated softly, "If your kiss is impure… You both die in the process; she taking all of your life energy, and she dieing of the life energy overload."

Sano gave a growl, "Take me to her."

Kaoru nodded at him and turned back to the stone hallway, leading the way to Sanosuke's fiancée.

In the time it took to get from that hallway to their destination, it was completely silent, as both Sano and Kaoru were wrapped up in their own thoughts. Well, Kaoru was wrapped up in a conversation with Kenshin for the most part.

'We are coming, Kenshin.' Kaoru thought softly to him.

'How did he take it?' Kenshin brushed back.

'Don't know. I haven't known Sanosuke long enough to reason out his reactions, but I thought he took it rather well.' Kaoru stated in Kenshin's mind.

'That depends with Sano's mood of the day. Is he yelling, and punching the wall?' Kenshin asked, with a tint of humor.

'Nope.' Kaoru stated back.

'Good. Then he took it rather well.'

Kaoru giggled out loud, and looked at Sano to see him staring oddly at her. She smiled and just waved it off.

'Okay' Kaoru whispered into Kenshin's mind, while wondering what Sanosuke was feeling at that moment.

Inside, Sano was a total wreck, but he would never show it. He was so scared Megumi was going to leave him, but, from the time he was in the hallway funning to the room, he made a conclusion. He waited for two years for Megumi to notice him, let alone love him. He will not let her die if it was in his power to save her. He was determined to save her. She will live, because if she didn't… He loved her so much; he would die with out her…

**Okay guys here it is. **This is only half of it. Sorry, I decided that I would give you half of it instead of sitting on my bum waiting for my slow fingers to give you the other half. **On the other side of the coin**, I have a dilemma. I don't know if I can get my lazy butt into gear. Every time I start to type again, it seems I loose interest in the story. Sighs Is this _curable? _Because if it is... (**Any one**) please tell me how to cure it. I really want to get the other half of this chapter out to you people, (which is about another 14 pages long… so far. I can't find a good way to cut it off) but I don't know if my lazy caboose will get it done. Sighs so, another sorry out to you people who are still reading this story.


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